Stephanie Bellefleur is a contemporary visual artist, mother, and Indie Studio Artist at SKETCH. She was born in Venezuela and raised in Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan by her French Canadian father. Her mediums include painting and illustrations. She’s also one of the participating artists in the creation of the Earl Bales Mural that will be revealed later this summer. We spoke to her about her creative process and how her life fuels her art practice.
I’m a contemporary artist working in painting and illustration. Often, my work includes a lot of strong graphic lines. I always heard about SKETCH but I never got exposed to it until I became one of the participating artists in the Common Ground x Art Bissell Exhibition at U of T, and I noticed SKETCH on the flyer. From there, I applied to be a part of the Earl Bales Mural Project.
Stephanie Bellefleur
When you manifest certain things, the puzzle pieces just come together. I come from a creative family, my mother is an interior designer, my grandmother was a popular visual artist (medium in pottery and paint) and my grandmother’s sister, Bella, is a very talented pastry artist (medium, cakes) from Maracaibo, Venezuela. I’d never paid attention to it, I realize now that I had it in me but I just had to build on it.
With my creative process, I’m an artist that does everything based on emotion or spiritual meaning. I’m a Reiki practitioner, and I also went to George Brown College to study Gemology which is the scientific study of gemstones and diamonds. I actually disliked that course because it was extremely dry and not creative at all. However, I learned from a scientific perspective how things that are seen as metaphysical are actually real. It affirmed my belief that what I believe spiritually is really true.
The piece “Phoenix” hanging in her workspace
I meditate before I work. The term meditation confuses a lot of people because they think you need to sit down, be quiet and hum. But to me, it’s about being able to go to the centre of yourself and connecting with the heart essence of yourself. It’s important for me to acknowledge that I’m a human being, I’m having a human experience, and whatever happens, that’s fine.
As an artist, this is what I live by.
The process is not always about myself. I think when you just include yourself, it becomes ego based. But when you invite other energies and people, it becomes a worldly thing. I always incorporate other essences such as angels or people who have passed away who haven’t been able to fulfill their life’s purpose.
I have always been creative but I never thought I would do art. I always thought artists were snotty, pretentious and only cared about themselves and their artwork. I came into art at a point in my life in which I was working at a company I was miserable at. I’m also a single mom so it was either stay at this horrible job for financial security or take the risk and go back to school, which meant borrowing more money. It was definitely a push to do something I was afraid to do.
Stephanie’s daughter Ava exploring her artistic side on the piece “Like A Bird”
However, art has saved my life. I told my program coordinator at school one time that I think art was hurting me and he told me, “No, you’re wrong, your art is actually saving you.” I had the tools, I just needed to nurture them.
Art, out of all the things I’ve done, has given me constant perspective. When you step outside and actually take a look at that perspective, you realize what it does for you and that’s what art does for me.
The piece “Thoth”
Follow Stephanie and her work on Facebook and Instagram. You can contact her at thehausofbellefleur@gmail.com.
-By Stephanie Bellefleur, Indie Studio Artist, and Jonsaba Jabbi, Communications