Stefan Winnicki Art
Artist Bio
Stefan Winnicki was born during the spring of 1982 in Chester, Vermont. Spending most of his life in Southern Vermont, Stefan developed a passion for the wildlife, nature, and lifestyle of the local area. An avid snowboarder, Stefan spends his weekends instructing at Okemo Mountain.
At a young age Stefan was diagnosed with dyslexia, which compromised fine motor skills. Regardless of difficulties, Stefan enjoyed drawing and other creative endeavors. He took his first art classes at high school where he attended Vermont Academy. The difficulties he had with handwriting and drawing caused Stefan to admire the accuracy of cartoonist and comic book artists. This admiration led to Stefan studying animation during pre-college at Rhode Island School of Design. Then after two years of traveling the country, spending winters in Lake Tahoe, as well as at Big Sky Montana, he continued his education at Landmark College. At Landmark, Stefan took several art classes covering drawing, 2d design, and digital photo editing. These led to an interest in digital photography as well as digital painting and illustration. Stefan spent countless hours doodling and drawing, scanning and digitally painting pictures, trying to create works with the same accuracy of the artists he admired while growing up. Using details to make a better picture, only to realize the final result suffered because of it. Frustrated by the amount of time spent on pieces and his dissatisfaction with the finished product, Stefan spent his time reconnecting with the natural environment. Taking his camera into the woods for hikes and snowshoeing, Stefan collected a large amount of digital photos. Stefan began trying to paint some of the photos using a more traditional medium. In 2014 he started attending an acrylic painting class with artist and instructor Rae Newell at Artistree community art center.
Working from photos, usually taken himself, Stefan paints scenes including wildlife and landscapes from Vermont. Works often include smooth faded skies or blurry backgrounds upon which more detailed elements are overlaid. Stefan uses a mix of subject, color, and composition to create an emotional response for the viewer. His art continues to evolve towards a looser style more concerned about the overall picture than the exact details.