About Stephanie Hill

I grew up in Cornwall, a town in eastern Ontario, Canada and spent my summers at our cottage on the Saint Lawrence River surrounded by my parents, two brothers, and an array of cousins, uncles, aunts, friends, and dogs. I suppose it’s no coincidence that much of my work focuses on family and relationships, both with others and with the natural world. I graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) and was privileged to partake in the college’s off-campus program in Florence, Italy where I studied Medieval and Early Renaissance artists Giotto, Ghirlandaio and Botticelli, and others. It was around this time that I fell in love with oil tempera, a painstaking technique that creates translucent glowing layers of colour. Like many of the European masters, my work doesn’t only portray a subject for subject’s sake, but rather uses symbols and mythologies to reveal a powerful and rich story. Painting is an emotional and intuitive experience for me and I often portray water, trees, gardens, flowers, animals, and insects to create a world where dreams, unconscious desires, and the divine come into play. I tend to work on stretched linen, using oil, yet also enjoy painting on paper with watercolours, oil pastel, and pencil to create multi-layered works. I see my art as a deep expression of aliveness and transformation. I hope to bring those who encounter my work on a compelling and delightful journey of self-discovery that reveals the ever-changing dance between the world around us and the one within. I currently live in Wakefield, Quebec on the Gatineau River downstream from my art studio.