July 9, 2018

Art & Life with Stephanie Mobbs Deady

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Mobbs Deady.

Stephanie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve loved art as long as I can remember. When I was really young my mother gave be a box filled with paper and paint and glue and glitter and buttons and ribbon. She put anything and everything in that box, and I created fun stuff with it every day. I kind of wish I still had that box — but in a way I do.

My studio is in a structure that has antique church windows and old strapping on the walls. It’s a funny mix of a barn and a sanctuary. The walls are covered with half painted canvases as I’m always working on many paintings at the same time. The shelves are lined with books about the lives of artists and photos of their work, I rarely read them, but I love having them. There is something comforting about having cherished books nearby. The drawers are filled to the brim with paper and cloth that I have cut into shapes, beads and bobbles, anything sparkly, actually anything that I think may end up in a painting someday. There is also a wall where I pin photos, newspaper clippings, drawings, anything that inspires me, or anything I just happen to love.

The most inspiring elements in my studio have to do with my brother. He was a talented artist and inspirational figure in my life and in the lives of many others. I use many of his brushes that he gave me years ago and I have some of his original artwork scattered around, including, my favorite, a self-portrait. I feel like he motivates me from above to keep pushing forward through this artistic journey to see where it will lead.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
As for my artwork? It all began with a cow. I painted a large funny looking cow with the words “No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk” and a friend who owns a shoppe in my town sold it the same day I brought it to her. I have painted a lot of funny cows since then. If you look closely you can see sadness in some, happiness in others, a range of feelings that possibly coincide with my life. I have also developed a style of painting women, “Wild Women”, who are faceless with many different skin tones. They have cut out sheet music, beads, sparkles & buttons their hair and in their dress. I never really know what I’m going to paint next, just that I don’t ever want to stop creating.

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
My advice for anyone is not to waste your life, it goes by really quickly. You should spend it doing what you love with the people that you love.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I sell most of my work at Helen Thomas in Andover, MA, Revel in Winchester, MA, Stephanie’s on Nantucket and the Love Shack on Nantucket. My work has also been shown in Wilmington, NC and Pinehurst, NC.

My children have all recently moved to Boston and that has inspired me to paint a few new cityscapes and landmarks of this great city, I’d love to sell my work someplace in Boston, but haven’t pursued that yet.

While recently visiting my family home in NC, I was inspired by my Mother’s Charleston Junior League Cookbook. I’m creating a series of painting that includes junior league cocktail recipes and symbols and landmarks from around Charleston. This winter I’ll be visiting Charleston for a few weeks and looking for a store or gallery that may be interested in selling my work.

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