Stephanie Fernanadez is the girl of a thousand faces. The art created by the 21 year-old painter, photographer and videographer is powerful enough to have won praise from BuzzFeed, Good Morning America, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan and other global media ports. Her fame has been won with faces transformed by color and line into otherworldly figures.
Fernandez admits that much of her spectacularly colorful make-up work falls into the category of “colorful / creepy / gory.” She says, “this style is influenced by my passion for horror movies & psychological thrillers.”
But she is even more influenced by music, says Fernandez and her friends. Says Justin Powell, “Music is very, very important to her. Images come from the world she hears. She channels the sound into her work.” And musician friend Jeremy Hefner points out that a female duo called CocoRosie has been a big influence. In fact, Fernandez’ best movie, “Rosalee,” an ominous 12-minute piece featuring 8 silent actors (the seven deadly sins plus a heroine), uses 4 evocative CocoRosie songs as the soundtrack.
“Most of my makeup is heavily influenced by music,” she says. “I love to be able to create and see what I am hearing, if that makes sense. I hear it and I do my best to create a visual of what and how I feel. Other than music and movies-nature, dark art, psychedelic/pop surrealistic art, and other artists inspire me. I strive to constantly create beauty.” That is apparent in the 4 tutorial videos she has produced. In the fast-forward camera work her hands work deftly, whether using fingers or brush. Colors are blended like butter.
She asks, “How do I come up with these ideas and concepts? I simply see it in my mind’s eye and my hands do the rest. Haha; the ideas honestly just come to me. It is not something I can explain with words.”
“Big, open spaces and the colors found in nature are not so apparent but are important themes” in Fernandez’ work, says friend and model Madison Brown. Pointing out a recent series of fawn faces accented with antlers, Brown sees subtlety, which is not how Fernandez has attracted media attention.
That she is in the media spotlight may have something to do with her storytelling ability. A sharp photographer, Fernandez typically publishes 4 to 6 photos of steps leading to the finished image.
On her vivid Instagram stream the self-described “complex individual” has some 44,000 followers. Yet she remains quiet and modest about her notoriety. “People who know her do not necessarily realize that she is so widely recognized,” says Hefner.
Her website, stephaniefernandezart.com, tells a more expanded story. She makes movies. She makes masks. She paints in acrylic. She says, ” I would love to direct movies and creative direct music videos and well as open a studio to create SFX masks, canvas pieces, and many other mediums. I love the film, fashion, and music industries. I have no limits. My mind is constantly moving. I want to do it all.”
Note: Stephanie Fernandez graduated from Airline HS, Bossier City, and has taken media classes at Bossier Parish Community College. In art she is self taught.