Student Interview~ Stephanie Struse

Stephanie Struse uses a combination of eccentric collage and refined oil painting to produce illustrations that are unique to say the least. Being plugged into contemporary art, fashion, music, and a love of Renaissance painting her work is steeped in a rich cultural foundation that speaks to young and old alike.

Why did you start using collage in your paintings?
I always had an interest in collage and would take every opportunity to introduce it into assignments that I did early on in school. I've been looking at a lot of illustration and got the idea to incorporate it into my work. A great benefit is being able to move around a piece and try out different pieces without having to scan it or worry about painting over it. That and I just like the aesthetic!
Every year there is a competition attached to the Senior Thesis Exhibition and this year you were the artist who placed 1st. What did that mean for you and what did you take from the experience?
Well, I guess in other years the nature of school wasn't really a direct competition, but rather a place to better yourself and be around other artists. But the further you get into illustration and the business of it, you recognize the line between your personal connection to your work and seeing it as a career. Obviously it meant a lot and something like this really encourages you in that last leg of school when things get dry and tired out. It's like finally knowing you're getting somewhere.
Illustration is art, but one that is often made for a specific context- editorial, book cover, posters, etc. How has your view your own art changed over the course of the last 4 years as you chose to study illustration?
It's something I've been thinking about a lot recently. In my earlier work I was really experimental with my subject matter, but my focus changed to material experimentation. I want to get back to that and focus on developing more conceptual illustrations. It's important to balance both sides so that you can cover a broader base as an illustrator and be available to create art for a large range of clients.