Stephanie grew up on the outskirts of St. Anthony, a small rural town in southeast Idaho. With 4 brothers and many beloved pets. her childhood consisted of: walking the country roads alone daydreaming, rough and tumble play with her brothers, riding her bike miles and miles to visit with friends, or creating characters and worlds with just her pencil and some printer paper! 

 

Printer paper was cheap and her parents kept the house well-stocked. Doodling and sketching became her constant companions, not only in play, but also in school. She almost couldn’t concentrate without a moving pencil in her hand, and tiny drawings filled the margins of every paper! Her older brother, Ed, also had artistic inclinations, and, with his influence and a smattering of art classes, Stephanie carried her art into young adulthood. 

 

She married at 19 and had her first baby at 20. Two other children followed. Her art found its place in young family life, too: in entertaining her children, in murals on the bedroom walls–or in escaping to a class at the local community college! 

 

When an unexpected move brought the Jagielski family to New Mexico, Stephanie began studying photography, focusing on family and portrait photography. 

 

She attended the Milan art institute in 2024, finally able to dedicate her days and creative energy to painting full-time. Leaning into her natural energy of wonder, excitement, and play, her paintings encompass every beautiful thing, including: animals, peonies, butterflies, fish, and women’s faces in unexpected and delightful combinations! Her work is described as being surreal, abstract, imaginative, and bright. 

 

Stephanie has a quirky, colorful studio with a view of her backyard and the mountain canyon beyond, laced with hiking trails and dotted with aromatic ponderosa pines. Her mountain home.