Art by Stephanie Jean Brown

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United States
Philadelphia, PA
Art by Stephanie Jean Brown

Artist working primarily in soft pastel.

05/11/2026

Dahlias, soft pastel on Canson Velvet, 8x10. Started as a little sketch this past winter but I pulled it out recently and realized I liked it, so I made a few finishing touches. I set a goal this past year to paint much larger than usual, and I have some new work ranging up to 20x25 that I'll share soon, but these small quick paintings are a nice break and tend to feel a little lower-stakes. If they don't come out, no big deal, I haven't lost much in terms of studio time or materials. And I always enjoy painting flowers. Challenging, but a totally different kind of challenge from landscapes and architecture.

05/08/2026

A recent painting of one of the beautiful weeping cherry trees at Morris Arboretum. After a winter of painting from photos and feeling increasingly frustrated by their limitations, I've made it a point to spend more time painting plein air this spring, and this piece is based on a study I did at the arboretum when this tree was still in bloom. I don't tend to produce finished work on location and am a little baffled by pastelists who manage it-- I never seem to have the right pastels to get the marks or layering effects that I want, plus there are all of the usual issues with painting on location (lighting, distractions etc). But I do love working plein air and I can often produce a pretty good studio painting based on my study if I get to it quickly while my memory's still fresh. I guess maybe someday I'll be one of those people creating nice finished work on location, but I also don't really mind if that never happens since I'll likely enjoy the plein air experience more if I'm not hung up on the outcome. I do enough stressing over creating finished work in the studio; maybe I don't need to bring that mindset to working outside. Curious to hear others' thoughts on this though!

"Weeping Cherry," 12x16, soft pastel on Canson Velvet.

05/05/2026

Always nice to see this email. I really debated whether to submit to IAPS this year, since it's an in-person show and I'm a bit hesitant to ship paintings to exhibitions right now since I have some festivals coming up this summer. But I've produced enough new work lately that I figured I could let go of one piece. Sadly I won't be able to actually come to Albuquerque for the convention-- it's too tough to juggle with my festival schedule. I'll miss seeing all of my pastel friends but I'll be there in spirit.

I can't post the accepted painting yet but will share it when the show opens. Wish I could be there to see the exhibition in person. I hope you'll all drink some extra margaritas for me!

03/30/2026

Just dropped off this painting for the first Philadelphia Pastel Society Signature Members show! PPS has a solid roster of Signature members now, and I'm sure this will be a great exhibition. It runs April 3 through May 1 at the Boyer Gallery in Pottstown. It's hard to imagine that pastelists in this area had so little in the way of society representation until just a few years ago-- PPS has done so much for the pastel community here in such a short time. Thank you PPS ❤️

03/24/2026

I thought I was done with Lambertville, but I guess Lambertville wasn't done with me? This is another lovely old house right in the middle of downtown which is now in use by the . It's beautiful year-round but especially in the spring, with all of the vivid pinks and greens.

I actually tried painting this last summer but wasn't happy with the outcome. I just couldn't quite capture that soft spring quality of light. But some time and distance made it easier to come back to and I'm happy with this version. My husband once asked me how I decide whether I consider a painting successful, and I had to think about that for a bit, but I guess I've landed on this: if it says what I want it to say, if it contains the essence of whatever emotional response I had to the subject, I'm happy with it. That's true no matter how others feel about it. And the reverse is also true: a painting that doesn't convey what was important to me feels unsuccessful, even if other people like it. In the end, I have to stand by my own judgment. That was a good thing to understand about myself and my work! I guess we're always learning...

"In the Pink," 15x20 on Canson Velvet.

02/28/2026

Very happy to have a painting in this year's Pastel 100, always my favorite pastel competition. Thanks so much to judge Robin Frisella for awarding an Honorable Mention to "Summer Trio" in the Still Life & Florals category. This painting sold last year and I hope it's bringing the new owner much joy 🌸 The Pastel 100 edition of the Pastel Journal is on newsstands now-- congratulations to the other winners!

02/14/2026

I'm open! Here at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival until 6pm today, in the big Emerging Artists tent right in the center of the festival. It's a beautiful day-- come on out!

02/10/2026

Very happy to escape this endless Philadelphia winter for the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami this coming weekend! This is my second year as an Emerging Artist at CGAF, meaning I'll be exhibiting this time, and you can find me in the big group tent with the other EAs. Come out to Coconut Grove, meet some great people, and see some great art. We'll be there from Saturday 2/14 through Monday 2/16 (10am-6pm Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm Monday). Hope to see you there!

02/03/2026

Thank you to Loriann Signori for jurying "Spring in New Hope" into the Pastel Society of the West Coast's members-only online show. I'm in the signature division now, which is some pretty terrifying competition, so I was happily surprised to have a piece accepted. It's also a bit nerve-wracking to try a new subject or style with no idea of how it will be received, so it's validating to know that I'm on the right track. Link to the full show in the usual place-- it's full of amazing paintings as always. Thank you PSWC!

01/27/2026

More than a little late announcing this, but "Hints of Spring" was accepted into the Philadelphia Pastel Society's juried members show, being held until January 29th at the Chester County Art Association. You still have a couple days to see the show in person and it's worth the visit. PPS has really grown over the years and the work in their shows has just gotten better and better. I'm very proud to be a part of this group. Thanks to judge Loriann Signori for including my piece!

This painting also made it into the BoldBrush FAV15 not long ago, which makes me glad I pulled it out and reevaluated it after letting it sit all spring and summer. Looking forward to painting some flowers again soon...

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Website

http://stephaniejeanbrown.com/

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