Featured Artist: Stephanie Maday

Stephanie Maday is one artist you’ll find at the First Friday Art Auction who is really hands on when it comes to her work: “When I was in high school, I took welding and became enthralled with building sculpture from metals. Working with the heat and just getting in there, being dirty and really feeling like a part of the art made me connect with myself as a person on an entirely new level. I knew creating and understanding my pieces was something only I could feel.”  After going for a short course at a welding school in New York she changed her art and eventually led her to her favorite medium: “I got away from art for a few years but upon returning I found that same passion, love, and connectedness when I discovered blown glass. Everything about it entices and draws me in. I concentrated my studies on glass through the school for the last year and a half. Glass has offered me endless opportunities and has opened so many doors for me. There is still so much more that I want to learn and glass just seems so endless.”
As an artist, Stephanie believes she has a distinct opportunity to let the world see through her work and explore beauty that may have not existed previously: Art for me has always been an outlet and a passionate one. To be able to convey that to others in our society is something I feel every artist should work towards. It’s wonderful to see Scranton and the surrounding areas really coming alive and involved with visual arts. I am happy to be a part of it, even though I feel I am just starting out it is exciting!”
You’ll be able to bid on works from Stephanie’s collection (like ‘Earth’ pictured above) and a number of other outstanding artists on Friday, May 11th, 6pm at the Scranton Cultural Center. To see more of Stephanie’s work, visit her here.