The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

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THE EVOLUTIONOF
FANTASYART
Forfantasyartists,theinternetisnowa haven
forsharingwork,ideas,narrativesandadvice—
butthiswasn’tthecaseatthestartofLaw’s
career.Sheremarksthatbackthen,fantasyart
waswhatyousawpublishedinmagazinesand
books:“Theinternetwasnotreallythecommu-
nityofartistsit isnow.Atfirstit wasveryeasy
todifferentiatemyself[asa fantasyartist]
becausethepublishedfantasygenredefinitely
hada looktoit thatmostlyconsistedofrealisti-
callyrendered,colorfuloiloracrylicpaintings.”
Thestandardfantasysubjectsofmonsters,
ogresandgoblinsdidn’tinterestLaw,andshe
foundherselfmoreinfluencedbytraditional
Chineseart-makingaswellascreaturesof
Asianmythology.“Ifeellikethefantasygenre
overthepasttwodecadeshasevolved,”says
Law.“Thevisionsofartistsfromaroundthe
worldsharingtheirartinonlinecommunities
hasmadefora richerexperienceforeveryone.
Myownworkhasevolvedandmovedeven
furtherfrommystartingpoint,whichwas
alreadya deviation.Itnowminglesbotanical
artelementswithabstractformandtexture,
anda mythicsenseofenchantment.”

WATERCOLOR AND
THE PROCESS
Though she often mixes media, Law primarily
considers herself a watercolorist. “One of the
things I love the most about watercolor is the
transparency,” she says. “There’s a beautiful
glow that watercolors have that no other kind
of colored medium conveys. I love the random
textures that you can achieve with watercolors
and the way they stimulate my imagination to
create melds of highly rendered subject matter
with very loose and organic form.”
Law’s imagery teems with precision. Filling
her work with detail and specificity, she fully
encompasses the worlds she creates, leaving
viewers on the outside as spectators, yet
drawing them in with minute, patiently
rendered intricacies.
Law carefully plans her work before
beginning her watercolor or mixed-media appli-
cations. She starts with a conceptual design,
which gives her a framework within which
she can explore certain imagery. “I do lots of
thumbnail sketches, which are quick studies
of shape and composition,” she says. “Once
I’ve settled on something in that direction,
I begin to flesh out the idea with more polished
sketches that I transfer to my watercolor paper.

“I LOVE THE RANDOM TEXTURES


THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE WITH


WATERCOLOR AND THE WAY THEY


STIMULATE MY IMAGINATION


TO CREATE MELDS OF HIGHLY


RENDERED SUBJECT MATTER WITH


VERY LOOSE AND ORGANIC FORM.”


—STEPHANIE LAW

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