STEPHANIE TAUGNER
Lives and works in United States of America
Biography
Stephanie’s work often tends to express moods and emotions and difficult experiences people experience in life. Words, imagery, color, and strokes come into play in her paintings. Time gone by is evoked as well. Social commentary and issues about the culture we live in is often expressed in her work. This describes using words, what her art work conveys but it is always for the viewer to experience whatever he or she feels since it is about each person’s perception in the moment. Stephanie has been a full time graphic designer and professor for
eighteen years. She is now creating jewelry, paintings on fabrics and other functional interactive, and wearable art it into her main area of interest. She uses mixed media including glass and also creates experimental books. Experimentation plays a huge part in her process of painting and creating the work. She feels the process moves the artist into new unexpected directions. She received her BFA in painting from Auburn University and her MFA from Indiana University. She has exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Recent exhibitions:
“Light, Space, Time”
International juried online exhibition 654 applicants, 54 were chosen, Stephanie was awarded “Special Recognition Artist”.
“Art Takes Times Square” This was a juried international competition, artist’s from all over the world submitted work. Stephanie is currently to be published in their hard back coffee table book,
“The Public and the Personal” A design exhibition at University of Indianapolis. The juried show included Erik Kass, John Jenkins III, Josh Miles, and four others.
“Collector’s Choice”, Ettinger Gallery, Laguna Beach, California
“Out of Bounds, Books as Art/Art as Books”
University of Warsaw Design Show
Brooklyn Museum, (2nd prize) Pindar Gallery, Soho New York City
“Pushing the Photo” Upfront Gallery Bloomington, Illinois (award winner)
“The Cutting Edge” National Photographic Competition (award winner)
Artist statement
“Lips, Lick, Love”
This piece was created to represent a mood, a feeling, emotions of love, lust, anger, love lost and fleeting love. The lips represent the kiss, a most intimate moment. They also represent our culture’s obsession with beauty (especially with women) of a certain kind. The lips are important in that they are somewhat pouty, pressed to the material giving them a Marilyn Monroe look. The idea of body parts and sexuality may come to mind which then leads to other thoughts about women, love, sex, and the objectification of women as well as men. This is a visual statement about all of that going on in our society. In the U.S. especially, art seems in many cases, restrained and traditionally “pretty”. This painting breaks loose from that restraint and is meant to reveal the ideas and feelings mentioned previously. Of course each viewer will feel different emotions, possibly memories and thoughts when viewing this. The mood is sultry, a bit creepy, lusty and sexual, and hopefully very thought provoking.