Art in Motion: An Escape into Steph Joy Hogan’s Perfect Little Imaginary World
Friday, November 15, 2024
Categories: Blog,
Steph Joy Hogan, a visual storyteller and a vivid 2D mixed-media artist, illustrates a natural blend of her own imagination and inspiration from other worlds. Even though she always considered herself an artist and studied art at university, it wasn’t until age 40 when she took her work more seriously and became a professional artist.
Hogan brings to life a piece from her Scrapscapes series, inspired by her love of space, science fiction, animals and children’s imaginations. The quirky and whimsy children’s stories fuel her passion to create art that invites curiosity and wonder.
Having previously shown her artwork through the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and their partnership with CATA, she was given the opportunity to feature some of her artwork on the bus.
“Creating connection and sharing joy (it is my middle name after all!) are what drive me to create. I've been so fortunate in finding opportunities to brighten our community with my work, but even with my over-active imagination I never dreamed I'd see my artwork gliding around town at so large a scale!” Hogan said.
As a Lansing native who grew up riding CATA buses, this collaboration is a dream come true. She hopes her art on wheels inspires the community to widen their imagination and let their sense of wonder lead them to dream.
“My aim is to create connection with artwork that energizes spaces and fuels imaginations. I want the work to spark curiosity in the viewer. Everything moves so fast today. I want them to be left with just a moment of wonder,” Hogan added.
According to Hogan, art has been a comforting and meditative medium that calms her ADHD brain. Through her artistry, she is always on the search for deeper and more meaningful connections.
“I'm a very social person but haven't always found it easy to really connect with people more than superficially. Sharing my artwork at in-person events like art festivals has given me the chance to find real kindred spirits who connect with the stories I'm sharing through my artwork. I know them immediately when I see them react to my work and it reminds me, I'm not alone!”
Her artwork goes beyond her inner self. She seeks to invite the viewers along for the ride in capturing her unique interpretation of the world as she strives to make sense of it.
“For me, art is not only a means of self-expression, but a way to understand the people and places around me. Art is communication and connection. It's storytelling, our human story, and really the essence of humanity in so many ways,” Hogan said.
Hogan’s creative journey hopes to bring out the quirky, unusual and surprising aspects of life. She envisions her art being a source of inspiration and connection to spark more meaningful and important conversations within the Greater Lansing community.
Escape to an imaginary world by keeping an eye out for Steph Joy Hogan’s out-of-this-world artwork on one of CATA’s buses. The Arts Council of Greater Lansing and CATA’s partnership have helped display Capital City Region’s local art scene through the Art in Motion campaign.
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