Stephanie Seguin

Artist Statement

Using the vessel as my springboard, I ask viewers to consider subtle nuance over overt novelty. Every vessel is individually designed to have quiet qualities in color, form, and relation to the space they occupy. I create collections of vessels, both small and large, with the intent of generating new interpretations of familiar forms, allowing for slow moving shifts between the similar and the distinct qualities each vessel holds. Forms that suggest function but elude true utility are displayed in a manner evoking the Still Life despite their volume and dimensionality, asking viewers to consider the 'in between' of such juxtapositions.

From the immersive to the intimate, the composition of space, object, and viewers are at the center of my process. Introducing materials such as paper, wood, or paint, allows me to consider beyond the vessel, pinpointing how the work is encountered, and experimenting with space so that the works are at once sculptural and painterly. Coil built vessels offer a seamless line riddled with residue of the hand, encouraging touch and viewer engagement, if only in thought.

Dualities and boundaries remain my greatest source of inspiration:  When can minimal become excess?  Where does a reference become a connection?  How can the novel become nuanced? These instigating questions allow me to establish a connection with the viewers of my work, creating a cyclical rhythm of thinking, acting, and viewing.  I develop a concept, I execute, I reflect and start again.  Viewers see the work, engage with it, and ponder their interpretations.   It’s a flexible relationship that can be momentary or enduring. 

Bio

Stephanie Seguin is an artist and educator based in Northwest Montana.  She received her Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University, and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Minnesota State University, Moorhead.  She was a long-term Resident Artist at the Carbondale Clay Center from 2017-2019, and has taught throughout her studio career including workshops, continuing education, and academic classes in Art and Art History at various centers and colleges across the United States.