{"id":573,"date":"2010-10-06T07:22:09","date_gmt":"2010-10-06T13:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15bytes12\/2010\/10\/06\/regina-stenberg\/"},"modified":"2022-03-21T10:48:19","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T16:48:19","slug":"regina-stenberg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/regina-stenberg\/","title":{"rendered":"Regina Stenberg: The Pure Essence of Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Regina Stenberg in her Guthrie Building Studio<\/p><\/div>\n

To describe Regina Stenberg\u2019s current work, now on exhibit at Finch Lane Gallery, as \u201cdrawings of clouds\u201d aptly captures the \u201cwhat\u201d of her work but not the \u201chow.\u201d To create her contemplative cloudscapes\u00a0|0|<\/strong>\u00a0the artist works vertically, with watercolor paper suspended against the wall with a flexible (linoleum) surface behind it; she dips a variety of fabrics into loose graphite and works it both onto and into the paper. Terry cloth is best for working into the paper because the raised texture of the fabric creates a \u201ctooth\u201d to pull the graphite in, creating a richer effect. The process is very immediate and efficient she says. \u201cThere\u2019s no drying time.\u201d Still, each piece in this show took about 20 hours to complete. Each has many layers. \u201cThe piece changes as I work on it and I kind of feel like the drawing is revealed as I put the layers on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stenberg has always loved making art.\u00a0<\/strong>Before coming to Utah with her family six years ago, she pursued a major in studio art, but realized that getting a paycheck would be helpful, so worked as a landscape designer with architectural firms. \u201cLife kind of took over, we moved around a lot, I had kids. But then coming to Salt Lake was a great thing – there\u2019s so much inspiration here. In Connecticut you see the sky, of course, but here it\u2019s BIG sky. When I first moved here I just felt more exposed, and it wasn\u2019t a negative experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stenberg has almost always done landscapes (in other mediums), has recently focused on cloudscapes — \u201cI really like things in nature that have high contrast\u201d — and next wants to do a series of waves. The crisp white edge on her current work is deliberate. \u201cIt reminds me of the way old black and white photographs looked, and these drawings from a distance are reminiscent of old photos.\u201d With a touch of wryness she comments that it is interesting that something that takes her such a long time could ultimately look like something that took one quick camera click. The use of graphite dictates the term \u201cdrawing,\u201d but her work is very painterly, so it seems a pity not to call them paintings. Stenberg doesn\u2019t want to make something other than cloud and sky out of her pieces – it\u2019s important that it not be likened to the leisurely occupation of staring at the sky and seeing in it recognizable images like faces or animals. The pure essence of sky is everything. She views her drawings as \u201c…quiet, sensitive drawings that take a certain patience to create.\u201d She has been working on other drawings of snow falling at night, which she finds harder to translate to an audience. \u201cI want to continue to look for things in nature that have contrast, whether it\u2019s light and dark, or shadow and something physical.<\/p>\n

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Stenberg also volunteers as an art teacher in the elementary school system in Salt Lake City, usually working with two classes per year. This entails corresponding with faculty and staff, creating lesson plans, finding art supplies. She found that having a studio away from her home was essential in a life in which she juggles her artwork, her volunteer work and her family life with a husband and 2 school-age children. She loves the Guthrie Building on 200 South, with its big windows and high ceilings. \u201cI love the smell of the building as soon as you walk in … I try to get here around 8:30 and start working – the building is quieter then.\u00a0<\/strong>Depending on my schedule I\u2019ll stay for 3, 4 or 5 hours. I don\u2019t always have a lot of time so the immediacy of coming and working and then just taking off my apron and walking out is a great benefit. I tried to work at home but it was frustrating – the phone would ring, the washing machine buzzer would go off, and space for my pieces was an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stenberg feels lucky to be drawn to a subject that is infinitely varied. If she feels \u201cstuck\u201d on a piece, she can step away and work on any one of several other drawings she has going, then revisit the \u201csticker.\u201d If she gets stuck on a bigger issue, like \u201cwhat should I draw\u201d she looks at photographs or wanders through bookstores to get a little \u201cnudge.\u201d She had a show last spring at the Alpine Gallery and has exhibited at each open studio event at the Guthrie. As it is for most artists, exhibiting her work is not the most comfortable experience, but she is very grateful for it. \u201cI listen and appreciate what people say – I\u2019ve heard both positive and negative, and that\u2019s okay. When I first started showing I felt more private about it, but now it\u2019s okay. You do have to be okay with the idea that not everyone\u2019s going to like it. It\u2019s the same in any creative field.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To describe Regina Stenberg\u2019s current work, now on exhibit at Finch Lane Gallery, as \u201cdrawings of clouds\u201d aptly captures the \u201cwhat\u201d of her work but not the \u201chow.\u201d To create her contemplative cloudscapes\u00a0|0|\u00a0the artist works vertically, with watercolor paper suspended against the wall with a flexible (linoleum) surface […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1520,"featured_media":62471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,14],"tags":[1011],"class_list":["post-573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibition_reviews","category-visual_arts","tag-regina-stenberg"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-31 06:48:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/31.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1520"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62477,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573\/revisions\/62477"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}