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What’s Next for Award-Winning Fine Artist Stephanie Firestone? A designer for Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, and Red Cross reconnected with her love of clay. What happened then?

September 2020: A Note from Hope & Cynthia — We are thrilled to introduce you to Washington, DC-based artist Stephanie Firestone, an amazing sculptor who ran a full-service graphic design studio before returning her artist roots that began when she was a young girl. Her career has taken her to work with the Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs, National Air and Space Museum, American Red Cross NHQ, AMVETS NHQ, American Petroleum Institute, GEICO, and Promontory Financial Group, to name a few.

Then, she rediscovered her true love — clay — via functional stoneware, and quickly began sculpting the human figure. Her work is organic, spontaneous, insightful, and prolific. From there, she moved on to mixed media and abstract painting. Stephanie’s gifts haven’t gone unnoticed. She was selected to exhibit in the WPA Select 2014 Auction by Olivia Kohler-Maga, Assistant Director, 
Luther W. Brady Gallery at George Washington University, Washington, DC in 2014. A catalog was then produced.

Her piece, “Nest” was included in a show in Germany and mentioned in a Washington Post Review article. Her works are purchased by individuals and businesses and she has exhibited at galleries in southwest VA, Greensboro, NC, and the metro-DC area. Presently, the woman who earned her BFA at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is frequently juried into various regional shows and exhibits often times along with her late father’s 
work — Peter Haikalis — whose subject matter is almost exclusively the human figure.

Hope explains: Stephanie and I met decades ago through the our award-winning illustrator husbands. Hers, Bill Firestone, and mine, Michael Glenwood Gibbs. Sadly, we’ve both divorced our men — a story that I’m telling in my new book, “Why Divorce.”  The good news is that we’ve stayed friends with those men who inspired us in so many ways — and we have stayed in touch with each other. So it’s a privilege to introduce anyone who doesn’t know Stephanie to her phenomenal work. See more below. And be sure to scroll down to read her answers about “What’s Next?”


Raku ceramic, glazed, table top. 2012

Stephanie Firestone’s Work is on Fire at Galleries around the northeast

Group Exhibitions: Stephanie has been chosen to participate in many group exhibitions including the Human Condition, NVFAA, The Athenaeum Gallery, Alexandria, VA, February 13 – March 22, 2020; HOME: 29th Annual Strathmore Juried Exhibition at Mansion at Strathmore, January 11 – February 23; and the All Member Show, Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA, February 2019; and Pieces and Parts, Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA.

Solo Shows: She also has been featured in solo shows including Oeuvre in Abstract: Paintings and Monoprints, Clifton Art Guild, Clifton Wine Shop, Clifton VA; Color Symmetry at the Mason Government Center, Annandale VA; and Distinctive Impressions II at the TaBois Galerie, McLean VA. Raku fired clay from live model, welded steel stand, 14 x 6 x7 in. 2014.Awards: Among her many awards are the 8th Mid-Atlantic Clay Conference, Front Royal VA. SECOND PLACE for ‘Elephant, No. 1’; 4th Mid-Atlantic Clay Conference, Front Royal VA for ‘Daydreamer’; and Fincastle Fine Art Show for Sculpture.

Click here to view more of Stephanie’s work: www.StephanieFirestone.com. And as we said above, be sure to scroll down for her thoughts on what’s ahead for herself, and her fellow artists. 


What’s Next for Fine Artists: Stephanie H. Firestone

Hope & Cynthia: Tell us about your business / industry and where it was before the pandemic hit in March 2020. 

Stephanie: My fine art career was still a bit on hold after finalizing a divorce of a 30-yr marriage and selling my house of about that long. The upheaval of emptying the house and moving my art equipment and finished works was daunting. Storage unit decisions and the like. Things looked up when I had an invite to share a home studio but that ended abruptly after a few months – move supplies again. I was getting into shows and feeling energized in general but not creating much new art at that time. Where would I put it? Oh, and I took it upon myself to attempt to promote my late father’s art too. Hundreds of paintings. Two friends have many of them in their homes on their walls as storage for me.

Hope & Cynthia: Where were you personally in your life when COVID-19 arrived in the US? What were your short and long-term goals at that time? 

Stephanie: Some of the same answer above. Transitioning from a full graphics design career which supplies an income (along with much stress) to a fine art life, takes a lot of mental strength over a period of years. I was ready to move in that direction full-steam. In addition, I was wanting to meet men and try another long-term relationship although hesitant. And meet men I did: one through a good artist friend and others through a 6-month Match.com membership. I learned a lot about myself through these ongoing lunch dates and a couple that were longer term serious relationships. The interesting thing was how I was showered with encouragement for my art. This was unexpected somehow, even though my ex did encourage me greatly too and still does.

ceramic

Hope & Cynthia: What are your thoughts now about your industry, your business, your personal life, your heart?

Stephanie: I’m excited about my art and the possibilities seem endless. Getting on Instagram was a good decision. Seeing artists from around the globe and making those connections, even though brief, is – wow. I’m hopeful that art sales will pick up. I’ve sold more during the pandemic which says to me that people want to bring a bit of deeper enjoyment into their lives. I’m always pleased when someone really ‘gets’ the art piece and desires it. My work appeals to a particular audience which is not necessarily the mainstream public. That is o.k. I’m focusing on more marketing. Networking for me was great before the pandemic. I thrive on networking. For my life, I want to find balance between my focus on my art (time it takes to create art in the studio) and my interest in people and social things. I am not really a loner artist. I also like being involved with younger people – really young age through teens and older too. I like connecting with them and seeing what they are about and the possibilities for them in their lives. Intrigues me. I admit it — I’m not a fan of Zoom meetings, but have to accept it.

Hope & Cynthia: Now the big question — What do you see coming next? 

Stephanie:

  • For your industry: I think the art scene in DC still wants to compete with NYC and I cannot always relate to the art and shows in the region. It feels alienating but I have to push through with what I want to create and show.
  • For your company: I am a sculptor and a painter and a few pieces of my work can be labeled as fine craft. I am in the process of choosing between those; perhaps a mix of all. Mixed-media is exciting to pursue. My goal then is to market such pieces and gain more income from art as well as enjoying the heck out of it.
  • For yourself: I hope to go to the next level in my artwork, especially by creating more mixed-media and larger-scale works — and not be concerned with where to put them in-between shows which is unfortunately a concern at the moment and hinders me somewhat. I am ready for club interactions (involvements) when we are well past the pandemic. Also on my mind for some time has been how to interact with younger people – not as an art therapist or art teacher – but some way. I have an open mind and am receptive to what I hear and see; but I may be past that stage in my life – I don’t know.
  • For the country: Painful as it is, I see the country moving toward acceptance of race and religion. We are trudging through a lot of mud and pain to get there and we must persist.
  • For the world: The pandemic has possibly brought us to the awareness that we are more together in all ways than we think. The U.S. thinks it is separate and invincible most times; but that needs to change. Climate and health issues are paramount.
  • For women: I am noticing younger women trying new careers that are fulfilling. They may be leaving the greater money-making career that they currently hold and make this new career to be fruitful for them. That is exciting to me. They are raising socially-conscious children and creative children. I do hope the creativity can be cultivated beyond simply learning the full range of the computer. Minds need to grow in creative ways which does not mean it has to be art to be creative.

white abstract reclining figure

Hope & Cynthia: One more question — now tell us the one question we didn’t ask you — and give us your response.

Stephanie:

Q: Do you think you are in touch with your inner child through your art? Lately, I am having a renewed acquaintance with my inner child. She is speaking to me though many of the ways I touch the clay in front of me. ‘Try this, no, try THIS now!’ She is loose and demanding and leading me to explore. As I grew up I squashed a lot of my creativity (long story there) and worked at being a responsible self-employed graphic designer and art director. That afforded some creativity of course and I accomplished many things in that life but at a sort of cost. When I had to learn the computer (yes, dinosaur that I am), it was so intense that, when a good friend dared me to take a simple clay class at the nearby rec center, I had to take the dare. I signed up and I was ‘home’ when I looked at that little 1 lb. ball of clay in front of me on the potter’s wheel. A few years later I was handed a scholarship for any clay class and I took a sculpture class at the Corcoran. I was a fish let back into the water. I continue my childhood pursuit.

Pablo Picasso said: “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

Artwork, in order of appearance, include:

  • Canyon Dream
  • Ellie (series Raku)
  • Damian
  • The Potter
  • Proclamation
  • Work-in-Progress, terracotta clay
  • Printemps