Stephanie Stouffer art on view at Brandon’s Compass Center

BRANDON — The Compass Music and Arts Center has been showing the work of Stephanie Stouffer for a couple years now. The illustrations of the Vermont artist struck a chord with Edna Sutton, the co-managing partner of the arts center. After a chance meeting in 2016, Stouffer showed Sutton some of her original paintings and Sutton was in awe. 
“I couldn’t get over the incredible sense of whimsy, the vivid imagination and obvious love she puts into each piece,” Sutton said, adding “we have to exhibit this.”
Compass is now the sole agent for Stouffer’s original artwork, and also retails some of the commercial products which carry Stouffer’s iconic designs.
The original gouache paintings Stouffer created on illustration board is what is so special. The paintings are relatively small — ranging from 6-by-6-inches to approximately 11-by-14-inches. Her designs often depict traditional scenes, including iconic, recognizable symbols, as required by the commercial graphic design world, but it is her knack for turning these “traditional symbols” into something fresh with her vibrant colors, decorative style and rich imagination.
Stouffer is a rare bird in the art industry as a female artist. She is one of the few freelance artists to earn a living and also carve her place as an illustrative and decorative artist. For 35 years her designs were licensed to companies like Caspari, Certified International and Peking Handicrafts, appearing on mugs, tapestries, greeting cards, pillows, rugs and  more. Now her work is at home in Brandon, stop by this holiday season to see it in person.
The Compass Center is open Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and is located in Park Village at 333 Jones Dr., Brandon. For more info visit cmacvt.org or call (802) 247-4295.

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