Studio Visit With Painter Stephanie Schechter - Inside Art With Michael Rose

Studio Visit With Painter Stephanie Schechter - Inside Art With Michael Rose

 

Stephanie Schechter is an artist and designer with a talent for strong compositions and soft transitions of color. A painter working in styles that shift from photorealism to hard edged and loose abstractions, Schechter is a skilled technician with an eye for detail.

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Schechter, who is based in Providence, was raised on Long Island and came to town in the 90s to study Industrial Design at RISD. In her skylit home studio, she creates photorealistic paintings of signage and architecture and is currently working on an abstract series that carefully documents tonalities across surfaces. Featured in shows throughout the region at venues like the Mystic Museum of Art, Cambridge Art Association, and ArtsWorcester, Schechter is represented by Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts and William Ris Gallery in New York, as well as by Boston Art and Arden Gallery in Boston.

 

 

There is much process behind Schechter’s refined and carefully made paintings. Describing her technique, she says, “My process starts with extensive photography. When something catches my eye, I take photos from many angles. Using my photos as reference images, I spend hours creating a precise foundational drawing. Although I use reference photos as a starting point, I often adjust perspective and proportions during the drawing phase, editing out anything that distracts from the focus of the work. When the drawing is complete, I transfer it to the canvas.”

 

Rolls of reference drawings for previous projects are piled into a tube in her workspace. She extracts them one by one and rolls them flat on a drafting table to reveal pieces that have the feeling of an architectural schematic.

 

 

The artist continues, “While I’m painting, I aim to create a smooth, consistent surface quality. I want the focus of the work to be the imagery, not my brush strokes. I work in oil paint because it dries slowly, allowing time for blending and smoothing. With each layer of paint, I add more detail and refinement. My process is labor intensive and slow, but I enjoy witnessing the evolution of each piece. From the moment something catches my eye, to hanging a finished painting of it on a wall, I am striving to create a meticulous work. I think it’s that meticulous execution that can take a seemingly mundane subject and elevate it to the status of fine art.”

 

Meticulous is the perfect word to describe this painter’s way of making. Looking closely at both her representational and abstract works, it is almost impossible to find a brushstroke. In her local studio she creates pieces that are collected around the country. In 2024 she was featured in a three artist show at the Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, New York.

 

 

Schechter says of living in the Ocean State, “Being an artist working in Rhode Island has been a source of both inspiration and support to me. I studied design at RISD and settled in Rhode Island after college. Soon after graduating, I noticed some of my favorite old buildings were being demolished for new development. I was also at the beginning of my design career and soon realized I had more to express than is possible with design alone. I longed to make art and began to use painting as a medium to document the buildings that I loved. As my painting progressed, I started to home in on the signs on these buildings, finding inspiration in local landmarks.”

 

 

Looking forward, Schechter is making new work. She says, “I have just begun two new series of paintings that I’m excited to continue to explore in 2025. One is a new realism series inspired by vintage analog objects. In today's digital world, I have a nostalgic longing for the beautiful, functional objects of the past. I am paying my respects to the designers of these objects by creating trompe l’oeil tributes to their creations.”

 

Schechter continues, “The other is a series of large abstract paintings inspired by the impacts of melting glaciers. In addition to the loss of their natural beauty, global impacts of melting glaciers and their runoff include disruptions to ecosystems, coastal erosion, and changes to weather patterns. Through this series, I am using voice as an artist to call attention to these alarming consequences. The first paintings in this series were created with grant support from Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.”

 

 

In one corner of her studio, an illusionistic painting of a clock could easily be mistaken for the real thing from across the room. On an easel, one of her abstracts is in process. Both are a testament to the duality of Schechter’s sensibilities and her heightened attention for the small details that shape powerful artworks.

 

Learn more about Stephanie Schechter at www.stephschechter.com or follow her on Instagram @stephschechter.