LYNN STEPHENSON
Location:
Traverse City, MI, USA
ARTIST BIO
Colored pencil artist Lynn Stephenson introduces an exciting new dual aesthetic, expanding her well-established realist work with a complementary impressionist line. Both styles share her signature hallmarks — intricate detail, abundant patterns, light & shadow with multiple layers of saturated color. The new pieces invite the viewer’s interpretation and offer a more imaginative counterpart to her traditional realism. Both distinct directions are firmly rooted in nature and clearly from a single mind.
Born in Misawa, Japan, Lynn grew up in Michigan and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan. She holds signature status with several prestigious organizations, including the Colored Pencil Society of America, the United Kingdon Colored Pencil Society and the National Association of Women Artists.
Lynn’s work has been represented by multiple galleries and published in numerous books including Best of Colored Pencil 4 and Colored Pencil Masterworks, plus magazines such as Color and Women United Art Magazine. Recent accolades include a First Place in the Nature/Landscape division of the international 2023 Best Art Awards, where she then served as juror, and the Director’s Choice award in Art Fluent’s CHROMA 2024 international competition.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I draw what moves me. My art represents a lifelong love of nature. I believe that if you are not passionate about your subject, and the medium you use, it will reflect in your art. I have been a champion of colored pencil for decades, much longer than they have been accepted as fine art. They are unparalleled in their range of saturated hues, simplicity of use, and portability. They allow me to create anything from fine delicate lines to thickly layered areas of burnished colors that resemble an oil painting. I create in realistic and also impressionistic styles, but both uniquely me with an exaggerated softness that reflects nature's fragility.
I am an avid photographer and prefer to use my own photographs for reference. I am committed to quality, using archival papers and professional pencils with the highest light-fastness ratings to ensure my art is long lasting. Through my artwork, I aspire to evoke an admiration for the natural world.
