Artist in Focus - Stella Chang

Stella Chang was born in California and grew up between the US, Taiwan and Canada. She attended New York University where she studied art with inspirational tutors. Stella designed fashion handbags for a number of well-known brands which included recognition from the Queen of fashion, Anna Wintour.

More recently, Stella has embarked on artistic experimentation using a range of mediums including watercolour, ink illustration, digital and three dimensional work to create visual narratives, seeking to transcend the constraints of trends and seasons. Her work often conveys messages of light and hope.

What are the main themes behind your work?
I often find myself exploring the realms of emotion and the psychological.

What do you want people to think or feel when they see your work?
A sense of space that allows them to simply take a moment to breathe.

What is your creative process - how to you begin a new piece of work?
I’m one of those artists whose mind would go blank and start to “chase after fairies”. I’d see a procession of images racing across the blank paper, and I’d pick one or two to put them down. Sometimes I’d see too many of them and would paint until I physically exhaust myself. For a lack of better words, painting and drawing to me really are a compulsion.

How do you know when a piece of art is finished?
When I want to compulsively fix it that’s when I have learned to walk away or risk ruining it.

Who are your two biggest inspirations?
Frida Kahlo and Bjork are my two biggest artistic inspirations because they both transformed and created their own reality through their art. They do not settle for anything less.

How has your style changed over time?
It went from Japanese manga influenced illustrations to digital application then back to traditional painting with elements of digital and fashion.