Meet Stephanie Kline

I’ve been creating things my whole life, but for most of my childhood and teens I was a dancer. I mostly did ballet and took any class I could — it felt like home to me. At the same time, I was always drawing or making something. I took art all through high school, did extra art classes outside of school in Year 7, and later completed a Certificate III in Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft at The Gordon. So even though I don’t dance the way I used to, painting never felt foreign — it was always there in the background.

Around 2020–2021, I found a bunch of old paints and wasn’t sure if they were dried out. I bought a big canvas just to see what I could do with whatever colours were still usable. I kept experimenting on that canvas — pens, thinning oils, whatever I had — and ended up making a really cool artwork. I didn’t even have an easel; I sat on the concrete in my parents’ backyard. I had so much fun, and when people saw it hanging in their living room they kept asking, “Are you going to sell it?” I said no — partly because I didn’t want to, and partly because I had no idea how to price it.

Over time, I’ve learned that I’m drawn to large canvases, rich colour, and the physicality of texture. I work in layers and let movement guide each piece, trusting instinct over neatness or control. Painting is where I feel most myself, and I want each work to carry its own energy — something the viewer can feel as much as see.

After taking some time to sort out a few health things, I’m back and ready to keep finding my identity as an artist and see where it takes me. I hope to bring my work to more people and show them that what I create is worth looking at.

Formal Education

• Bachelor of Communications (Digital Media), Distinction - Deakin University

• Certificate III in Visual Arts and Contemporary Craft - The Gordon