The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

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tephanieLaw’sworkinhabitstwo
worlds.Thefirstisfantastical—rich
withfictionalcharacters,unique,but
derivedfrommedieval,classicaland
contemporarysources.Thesecond
isthenaturalworldwithbotanicalsandbugs
fromtheenvironmentaroundherbutpre-
sentedwithanetherealqualityoftenfoundin
fantasyart.Blendingthereal,themagicaland
thetraditionalresultsinworksthatstandout
inboththefantasy-artcommunityandtheart
communityasa whole.

TWO ROADS CONVERGE
Law studied art in college but as an inter-
est secondary to her major. “I had picked
my university primarily for the computer
science program,” she says, “but I decided that
I needed to do art even if I wasn’t planning to

make a career out of it. The art program was
very much counter to what my own instincts
drove me to create, so it was a struggle to
find the balance of my own voice while push-
ing the limits of what was expected in the
program’s requirements.”
Although Law has been a painter from
a young age, pursuing an art career was not
advice those closest to her were quick to offer.
“The more pragmatic advisors in my life kept
telling me it was not a feasible path,” she
says. “For a short while I was deterred from
that goal, until I realized it was something
I couldn’t deny.” After three years working as
a software engineer, Law rolled the dice and
quit in order to pursue art full time. “It’s been
almost 20 years now,” she says, “and it’s the
best decision I’ve ever made.”
Law’s stint as a software engineer, how-
ever, wasn’t all for naught. Many of her

LEFT TO RIGHT
When Flowers
Dream I
watercolor, copper
leaf and gold leaf on
paper; 20x16

When Flowers
Dream II
watercolor, copper
leaf and gold leaf on
paper; 20x16

When Flowers
Dream III
watercolor, copper
leaf and gold leaf on
paper; 20x16
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