Stephanie Mele is an artist and the co-curator of SPLACE based in Windsor, Ontario. Holding a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Windsor, Stephanie exhibits internationally and actively participates in residence programs. Stephanie’s practice begins by walking to better understand how the city and places are constructed. Crossing the pavement she documents her walks using a sketchbook and phone to record the urban elements she is drawn to. This allows her to map the streets and develop an awareness of her surroundings. On these walks, Stephanie takes moments of pause at different locations such as cafes and local businesses within the city to recharge. During this time, she engages with the interior and contemplates its functionality and resources it provides. She is interested in spending time in interior and exterior places to discover the duality between both.

Stephanie creates close studies of the city on paper and canvas. Using heavy oil pastel in warm and cool colours, and fine gestural work she is able to depict ‘place’ as both concrete and fragile. Her work consists of tall buildings covered in windows, pedestrian street signs, and furnishings of interior spaces. Focusing on architectural details to identify place, she transforms her environment by using a painterly process that contextualizes the urban landscapes around her combining her memory of place. Stephanie creates to understand where she is located within her environment and to question how places connect and blend together to form an individual experience.

INSTAGRAM : @Stefmel_