We were lucky to catch up with Ivy Stevens-Gupta recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ivy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In January 2023, I received a grant from NYSCA to create a mobile art installation titled “Somewhere WAY Over the Rainbow.”

I spent the next several months researching and designing an interactive and multisensory project. As a neurodiverse artist (I was diagnosed with ADHD Hyperactive/Impulsive type in 2015), advocating for people with ALL abilities was important to me. The project consisted of four three-foot by four-foot birch board cradled panels. The total size measured 12 feet across by 4 feet down. The installation had 192 different 6-inch by 6-inch squares that were designed to be touched. I used a non-toxic epoxy resin to cover the finished pieces. Each square was a different color and had a unique science, technology, engineering, art, or mathematics (STEAM) component. All squares were labeled in Braille, with many including tactile features. Several webpages were designed so that visitors to the installation, including those who were visually impaired, could learn how to interact with it. Blind or visually impaired individuals simply hovered their smartphones over a tactile QR code made using a 3D printer. This QR code allowed users to use text-to-speech (TTS) software that translated all the words into auditory speech. For example, a user would hear that they could feel the sharp quills of a porcupine on square T4 or scratch and sniff the peppermint candy shape on square F8.

Some unique features of the installation included a painting created while listening to an original song composed by my son Hunter Stevens. When someone clicks on the QR code, they can go to a webpage to see the painting, listen to the song, and watch actual sound waves move across the art. Another novel feature was a YouTube video of “Astronauts” by the band Sirsy. The song is about two young girls who dream of becoming astronauts during the pandemic. My galaxy painting was used for the cover of their CD (pictured on the installation). One square had thermochromic liquid crystal that had a mood ring effect when a hand was placed over it. Several other features included animal tracks, sign language, chemical elements, scratch and sniff, an AI-created poem, bioluminescent creatures that required a black light flashlight to see, secret anaglyph messages with a spy finder to decipher them, holographic and color-shifting squares, optical illusions, lenticular art, a climate change graph, fossils of dinosaurs, a Braille Scrabble board, a word search in Braille, and art of animals and endangered species. My goal was to get kids excited about learning in a fun, interactive, and non-traditional environment.

The need for inclusiveness has been amplified by the pandemic, which has had the unfortunate effect of deepening feelings of loneliness, isolation, and racism in children and adolescents. It was heartwarming and fulfilling to see so many people engage with my “Somewhere WAY Over the Rainbow” installation. It was the first time in my life that I felt my ADHD was a positive thing. It helped me come up with so many creative ways to educate others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Ivy Stevens-Gupta and I have always been an artist. I enjoy creating colorful, large art installations for hospitals, universities, and museums. I wear many hats that include being a lecturer in color theory, a marketing consultant, an art instructor, an art columnist, and a certified color therapist.

My artistic journey began with studies at Alfred University, followed by a degree in Business from SUNY CCC, a BS in Marketing, and an MS in Liberal Studies with a media focus from Empire State University. I also hold certificates in Interior Design and Art Therapy Life Coaching.

My professional background includes serving as an Advertising Manager for the Gannett Newspaper Division for 16 years and later as the Corporate Relations Director for the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. My artistic footprint extends globally, with exhibitions in Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, and Canada. My paintings, featured in international contemporary art books, have garnered global recognition and sales.

My clients tell me that they enjoy the diversity of my art and that my colorful paintings offer them a range of options from realism to abstraction. Actively involved in the artistic community, I am a member of the Elmira Art Society, the GNSI Finger Lakes Chapter of Scientific Illustrators, and the Greater Ithaca Art Trail. I share my expertise as part of the faculty at 171 Cedar Arts Center in Corning, NY, and contribute as an art and health columnist for What’s Hot Magazine. I am also proud to have been a Rotarian for several years.

When not immersed in painting, I dedicate my time to teaching others the joy of color and creativity through workshops. I’ve done color therapy art workshops for hospitals, universities and various organizations. Who doesn’t enjoy the opportunity to create something full of joy with your own hands? Connect with me on Instagram @Ivystevensgupta.art, explore my work on Ivycreativedesigns.com, or schedule a visit to my art studio/gallery in Cayuga Heights, Ithaca, NY, USA.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have always been drawn to color. As a child, I would spend hours pondering the perfect color from my Crayola box of crayons to complete a picture. Orange is my favorite. I wear it when I want to feel confident and associate it with happiness. I love fresh squeezed orange juice, picking the perfect pumpkin for Halloween, and marveling at the changing color of leaves in autumn.

However, it wasn’t until the death of my daughter, Cach’e Pelletier in late March 2015, that color became a lifeline for me. As anyone who has lost a child knows, it feels as though your heart is irreparably broken. Consumed in the debilitating circle of grief, guilt, and gut ache, I started to explore holistic healing methods such as eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables, adding more lighting to my interior living space, and using more color in my art. This coincided with intensive painting in my studio as though my life depended on it. I had all these emotions that I needed to express in a creative and healthy way.

I started to take notice when visitors came to my art studio and walked directly to a painting that was predominantly one color. I discovered that shades of blue seemed to soothe people while others were energized by red and yellow paintings. My curiosity about the effects of color eventually led me to become a certified color therapist in 2018.

I often get asked what color therapy is and how it works. My answers come from the lens of both an artist and color researcher. Color therapy or chromotherapy has been around for centuries. It is an alternative therapeutic modality, much like reflexology, acupuncture, or cranial sacral massage and helps heal physical and emotional imbalances in our bodies. It does so by taking advantage of various known photobiological processes that stimulate or mitigate the biochemical and hormonal processes in our bodies. An example is the use of blue light therapy to help with depression associated with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Looking back, I believe my immersion into the full color spectrum helped me survive the tragedy of losing my daughter. I could feel the energy and nourishment from making art begin to heal me. Eventually, the process of mixing reds, blues, and yellows into varying shades of apricot, aqua and violet, became food for my soul and slowly brought joy back into my life.

I began to consider that if creating with color helped me, it might help others too. I started offering color therapy art workshops and lecturing at universities and hospitals. The paintings that the participants created were intended to focus on channeling specific color schemes that would help heal depression, anxiety, grief, PTSD, and other emotional issues. In the process, the participants were able to give their brains a reprieve from negative thoughts and instead be filled with joy, excitement, and a sense of achievement.

The pandemic has left many of us feeling overwhelmed. Whether it’s anger over racial injustice, stress over financial struggles, or grief due to the loss of a loved one, it’s important that we take care of our health. Color therapy via creating art, along with exercise and eating colorful food, helped me heal from the loss of my daughter. I hope it can do the same for others.
Learn more about Ivy at www.ivycreativedesigns.com

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being an artist is a journey brimming with countless rewarding experiences. One of the most exhilarating aspects is the perpetual learning and experimentation with new techniques and mediums. A few years ago, I embarked on an adventure that blended art and science, spending months developing a fabric made solely from paint and polymers. This innovative material, an acrylic ‘skin,’ allowed me to craft vibrant fabric sculptures that mimic the texture of clay. The process was a delightful fusion of science and artistry, a dance between the analytical and the creative.

Creating art is my sanctuary, a space where I can process anxiety and slip into a meditative state. It’s a practice that grounds me, offering solace and clarity. Sharing this passion with others, guiding them to tap into their own creativity, brings me immense joy and a profound sense of purpose. Witnessing someone else’s creative awakening is a reward beyond measure.

There is also an undeniable thrill in knowing that my art resonates with others, whether through a purchase or a commission. It’s a validation of my work and a heartfelt connection to those who appreciate it. This support is not only a financial boost but an emotional affirmation of my artistic journey.

I encourage everyone to support living artists and invest in original art. It’s a celebration of creativity and a vital part of sustaining the vibrant world of contemporary art. Connect with me on Instagram at Ivystevensgupta.art or visit my website: Ivycreativedesigns.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Ivycreativedesigns.com
• Instagram: Ivystevensgupta.art
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/ivy-stevens-gupta-6686388/
• Other: https://pixels.com/profiles/ivy-stevensgupta

  https://www.gnsi-fingerlakes.com/members

Image Credits

Rachel Phillipson, Roger Theise, Scott Hopkco, Sachin Gupta, Ivy Stevens-Gupta, Aravind Eye Hospital Staff Photographer