The Artist’s Magazine – October 2019

ArtistsNetwork.com 77

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