Wendy Stegall

Wendy grew up in Sacramento, California and Reno, Nevada. She has also lived in Washington, D.C., Bermuda and Austin, Texas.

Age 4: spilled black paint on her brother’s orange carpet.  Survived to continue painting patterns in opaque water color.

Age 7: discovered pastel colors via nail polish and compared them to surfaces all over the house.

Age 10: Wendy paints a portrait in 4th grade of her classmate Mark. The face is off kilter but he’s in it! Realizes she could get good if she kept in that direction.

Age 15: Older brother is reading “On the Spiritual in Art” by Kandinsky (again) and discusses with Wendy. (Peter Stegall – Sac State MFA, shows at Guggenheim in NYC etc.

Age 17: High school art teacher informs Wendy she needs to loosen up and do big bold strokes with the watercolors.  Wendy continues to paint small patterns using the watercolors opaquely.  (opaquely?)

Age 25: Wendy witnesses Abilasha Singh dancing Kathak in the Golden Dome at MIU (having moved to Fairfield in 1980). Mesmerized by the rhythmic footwork of the dancer’s “train” piece and the fast spins in flowing white and silver, Wendy commits to learning North Indian Classical Dance, as a practical way to make a living in the Midwest.

Age 29: Wendy reads Art in America in between Indian Dance lessons, in Washington, D.C. and starts drawing geometric shapes in pastels. Wanders downtown into some classes as well.

Age 35 (1991)  Wendy takes the Art core courses at MIU and discovers collage (but sticks with collage and not college).

Age 40: Wendy opens a dance school in Fairfield, which later includes Bollywood teaching and performing. Fine flowing lines and shot silk make her dream of painting.

Age 52: Collage morphs into oil painting with Bill Teeple who says “You were so clear in your aesthetic style that I didn’t make you paint a boat.”

2019: First solo exhibition – Art 52 in Fairfield.