Meet artist Stephanie McLaughlin
Artist Stephanie McLaughlin welcomes us to her studio at Arts on the Greenway in Mount Holly.
Stephanie McLaughlin says that she was “genetically trained” in visual art.
The reason for this is simple: It runs in her family. Her great grandfather was an architect and an artist who once famously painted a nude bust of his wife, who was shocked and asked him to paint flowers over the nudity. Her Texas-based uncle also paints, and McLaughlin’s sister is an artist as well.
McLaughlin herself began painting in her 20s while working at a bank. The bank held a public art contest for a fundraiser, and McLaughlin began talking with an artist and said she was interested in learning.
“She said, ‘Well, every Tuesday night we meet in my garage, have a glass of wine, something from the garden and paint. Come and join us,'” McLaughlin said. “As I got started, my sister was thrilled. Gave me supplies and brushes and said go play. I was really fired up.”
Originally from Arizona, McLaughlin was born and raised in Flagstaff. She moved to North Carolina in 1998, and after her move, took a 20-year break from visual art. In 2017, then-living in Gastonia, she got involved with the Gaston County Art Guild. She specializes in watercolor painting.
“So I really picked up my brush again and got serious about art,” she said.
In 2019, she moved to Mount Holly and joined Arts on the Greenway, a nonprofit that functions as an incubator space for artists.
Since then, McLaughlin has become known for her portraits of client houses, although she also paints people, animals and landscapes.
“I think what inspires me the most is the opportunity to be creative and focus on the opportunity to recreate what people see,” she said. “From a community perspective and from an artistic perspective, my desire in all of the work that I do is to honor what honors the family, to pray over my work and to give God the glory, because this what I call genetically trained artistic ability is only because God’s given it to me.”
She said that she enjoys the emotional reactions to her work.
“I think the best part about presenting someone a piece of my work is when they get emotionally involved in it, and it makes them cry because they’re so excited or inspired,” she said. “So it really is about blessing the community.”
She said that last year, she presented her pastor with a portrait of his home as an appreciation gift.
“And it’s a unique gift, and I am so blessed to have it,” she said.
