Artist seeing passion pay off
By Sam Waller
Alanna Stephens has long had a passion for creating art.
Now she’s making it pay off.
Stephens’ Yellow Rose Studios, located at 57 S. Main St. in Albany, will hold an open house Saturday, June 17, with the studio open to the public at 11:00 a.m.
During Fandangle season, Stephens plans to be open from 11:00 a.m. until show time on show days, allowing visitors to view her work, which is right across the street from the barbecue meals being served at the Bank Park.
Stephens opened the business in January after moving to Albany. She and her husband, Roye, have a 6-year-old daughter, Cecilia, who will be a first grader this fall.
After majoring in bronze casting sculpture with a minor in large-scale watercolor at North Texas, Stephens took the plunge into being a full-time artist in 2015 with her husband’s encouragement.
“I enjoy painting,” Stephens said. “It’s something I wanted be successful at, and my husband supported me in that and pushed me to do it. Had it not been for him, I wouldn’t have had the guts to jump out and do it.”
All artwork on display at Yellow Rose Studios has been created by Stephens, who described her style as Contemporary Southwest. She works in multiple media, using both oils and acrylics.
“I start painting in acrylics and finish out in oils,” she said.
Stephens, who had a studio in Breckenridge before moving to Albany, said the response since opening Yellow Rose Studios has been beyond her expectations.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with how welcoming, friendly, and kind the people of Albany have been,” she said. “I’m thrilled to be here. I’ve made a lot of new friends.”
Stephens tries to rotate the pieces on display, something that becomes a necessity as works sell.
“I have pieces in the back that aren’t on display,” she said. “I don’t have enough space to hang everything. Most of what’s displayed at this time is sold and will ship out, then I’ll rotate new pieces in. I ship all over the U.S.”
If a patron likes a piece that’s already sold, Stephens said she can accept a commission to produce something similar.
“I always make sure everyone has their own unique original,” she said. “I never make a straight copy. I can change the background or make the subjects different colors.”
One example is a scene with a pumpjack.
“I have gotten several commissions off that one and used different settings,” Stephens said. “I do offer prints on a lot of my work if the original is sold.”
Stephens said she can offer a wide range of sizes, from small pieces that can compliment an existing decor to large canvases that dominate a room.
“Prints come in any size, and they’re available on the website (alannastephens.com),” she said. “For my commissions, I don’t do anything smaller than 18x24 inches. I’ve done as large as 48x48 and I have a commission I have not started yet that’s 48x60. I like to work big, so I’m excited about that one.”
Most of the scenes Stephens creates involve animals or landscapes, but she is edging into portraits.
“I did a portrait inspired by an Indian from ‘Dances With Wolves’ on a burlap canvas that sold quickly,” she said. “I’m intrigued by Indian portraits, and I see myself doing a lot of those.”
The manner in which Stephens creates pieces often has her juggling several projects at once.
“The paintings are in layers, and you have to let each layer dry before applying another,” she said. “I usually am working on about three commissions at a time, and I’ll have three or four of my own pieces going. I do a lot of prep work digitally for the client to approve before I start a painting.”
Stephens tries to keep her prices affordable. Her work typically starts at about $500 and ranges up into several thousand dollars depending on several factors such as canvas size and detail.
For more information, including Stephens’ artist statement, visit alanna stephens.com.
