Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Jaffe

Hi Stephanie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised on Long Island. During grade school, I attended The Fiedel School for Creative Arts on Saturdays, a unique program in a historic mansion. Throughout high school, I took lessons in ceramics, sculpture, and life drawing.

I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia in 1980. Initially majoring in painting, a first view of the hot glass studio inspired me to switch my major to glass and ceramics, fully immersing in the studio glass movement. In my junior year I did a semester abroad in Rome, which marked one of the most influential periods of my life.

After college, I worked in New York City, knitting sweater samples in a design room in the Garment District and blowing glass at the NY Experimental Glass Workshop in Little Italy. Exploring the Garment District, I was captivated by the many notion shops, which inspired feminine elements in my work. In 1982, Bergdorf Goodman commissioned me to create glass and mixed media sculptures titled “Shoe Fly Pie,” displayed in their Christmas windows on Fifth Avenue.

In 1984, I returned to Philadelphia to start a glassblowing studio called Germantown Glassworks with a former classmate. We designed and produced functional blown glass pieces exhibited at American Craft Council shows and sold in galleries and retail stores nationwide.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

In 1988, I moved to South Florida, married, and raised two wonderful sons. Embracing the Latin influence, warm weather, and Spanish language, my mixed media art expanded to include mosaic painting and sculpture, often incorporating patterns from my large collection of ceramic plates. Mosaics, like glassblowing, fascinated me with their ancient roots.

As my children grew, I opened a studio at The Bakehouse Art Complex (BAC) in Wynwood, a burgeoning art district. BAC is comprised of 70 juried artist studios housed in a renovated 1920s bakery. I remained a resident artist there for 13 years.

In 2005, I was awarded an Art in Public Places commission for a large glass and concrete sculpture titled “The Lealman Park ‘L’,” located in a park near Tampa, Florida. Since then, I’ve installed several outdoor art pieces across Florida, including the 19-foot Florida Highwaymen Obelisk sculpture, a 15-foot Veterans Memorial sculpture in Miami Lakes, and a retaining wall at a park in Key West.

Navigating public art applications is challenging. The process is time-consuming and sometimes costly. You can become a finalist, work up a detailed proposal, and still not be awarded the project. To handle the reality of not always winning, I remained dedicated to my studio art practice. During this time, I created a humorous mixed media series titled “About Candy,” which explored the enticing titles of American childhood candy icons. The series centerpiece, “Mary Jane,” was showcased in the exhibition “I Want Candy, the Sweet Stuff in American Art” at The Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York, curated by Bartholomew Bland. This exhibition traveled to several other museums in the United States.

A series of mosaic topiary ceramic sculptures followed. The concept began as an unrealized public art proposal for a downtown streetscape in Arizona, where I was a finalist. Nonetheless, I proceeded with my idea and began making topiaries sculptures which were encrusted with hundreds of handmade ceramic flowers, ceramic figurines, and colorful glass and ceramic bits. Pinnacle Housing, a large developer in Florida, commissioned me to create benches with inset mosaic murals installed alongside one of my five-foot-tall outdoor mosaic topiary sculptures at a senior housing facility in South Florida. Another large tree was showcased at The Audubon House in Key West, which also sold several pieces from this series
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As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

These days, I divide my time between Miami and the Berkshires in Massachusetts. My latest series of mixed-media assemblages consists of highly sculptural paintings of iconic women. Each portrait is a narrative of a significant and historic female figure who left an indelible mark in our world.

Like contemporary artists Vanessa Germain and Nick Cave, my practice is driven by a fervent dedication to collecting, recycling and the transformative process of breathing new life into discarded objects. I employ a palette of once-loved materials-vintage ceramics, glass, buttons, jewelry and plastic toys-sourced from yard sales, thrift stores, antique shops, and online platforms. I meticulously arrange these elements into powerful mosaic portraits, finishing each piece with resin cast directly into the artworks frame. The carefully curated items integrated into the artworks serve as vessels for the subject’s story, evoking memories, and personal connection.

Some of my portraits feature renowned figures such as Chef Julia Child, actress Audrey Hepburn, and climate activist Greta Thunberg. As an example, Eleanor Roosevelts portrait accentuates her advocacy for human rights by integrating a collection of UN ceramic figurines symbolizing her involvement in the United Nations.

The lives of ordinary individuals with extraordinary stories also intrigue me and I plan to showcase them using this technique. Recently, I was commissioned to create a portrait celebrating a client’s late mother, a successful Korean immigrant and entrepreneur in New York City. The portrait includes objects symbolizing her business savvy and incorporates some her own costume jewelry. This portrait is a tribute to her mother’s courage, and success ensuring her legacy is celebrated and cherished for generations.

This collection is a platform for illuminating countless inspiring women whose stories are brought to new light through my art. My clients are individuals seeking to commemorate loved ones or themselves in a unique and meaningful manner. I hope that my portraits inspire people to appreciate their own history and heritage.

How do you think about happiness?

I enjoy spending time with my loved ones. I have a great support system of friends and family, and a loving, fun partner, @masstortguy. Sometimes, I feel like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, just grateful for all I have right in my own backyard.

As I mentioned before, I love flea markets, tag sales, and all things vintage. The thrill of hunting for treasures in the wild for my artwork, and sometimes for my own home, is a simple pleasure. Hours spent in the studio are very Zen, where I simply lose track of time.

Pricing:

• The Three Musketeers (Price upon request)
• Glamour Girl (Price upon request)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.stephaniejaffeart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniejaffeart/?hl=en
• Facebook: @stephaniejaffeart

Image Credits
Main image Stephanie Jaffe sorting Buttons Photo Credit: Ron Oppenheimer
1. On the Green Public art for City of Boynton Beach Credit: Stephanie Jaffe
2. The Three Musketeers Credit: Matt Silk Photography
3. Glamour Girl Credit: Alain Fleitas Photography
4. Jackie Credit:Alain Fleitas Photography
5. Detail of Eleanor Credit: Alain Fleitas Photography
6. Greta Credit: Alain Fleitas Photography
7. Detail of Greta Credit: Alain Fleitas Photography
8. Grace Becker with the portrait of her mother Judith Chung. Photo credit Stephanie Jaffe