September Artist Spotlight: Stephanie Page

How did you start doing art and what is your preferred medium?

I grew up loving clothing-as-expression and was a professional international model as a teen, so my brain has always been into fabric & fashion. I started sewing after college, and as I settled into who I was, I expressed myself by the clothes I was making and dabbling in other mediums and layering them on with my sewing. If it involves fabric, I've probably worked with the technique. It took me a long time to call myself an artist, but as I started to share more of my work via costumes for performers, on Instagram and in shows, I felt comfortable with that term now.

What drives your creative spirit these days?

COLOR & PRINT is always on my mind, but I'm very much driven by the supplies I have on hand. I collect special fabric from my travels, ACR, and do some of my own surface design - so fabric will inspire my sewing choices. For the last few years, I've been very focused on sewing apparel exclusively, but I am branching out now with larger scale fabric collages and painting - again based on the supplies I've ended up with. 

How does reuse play a part in your art?

In addition to collecting supplies from ACR, I'm always scouring goodwill for high quality clothing to refashion via painting. Honoring & extending the life cycle of an item is important to me, so I visibly mend my clothing. Visible mending extends the life of an item, but also honors the stories the clothing holds by putting a spotlight on the wear and tear, plus it pushes back against the perfection of capitalism and subtly reminding others to do the same. On a fun note, I just repaired a pair of shoes that were falling apart and refashioned them by adding fur - I get so many comments on them! 

What compels you to donate to ACR?

Space! I have a small studio in my backyard and there's only so much room, so the occasional purge of items that no longer speak to me is necessary! 

Do you have a favorite ACR find? What did you do with it?

It's hard to pick a favorite - I have used so much fabric from ACR in various projects over the last few years. My most recent project with ACR materials was a wide stripe home dec fabric and a wild Ikea print that I used to make a backpack for a very exciting trip I have soon.

Where can we find out more about your art?

@vividvoltage on IG and www.vividvoltage.com