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Stephanie Yarberough is an artist that plays with contrasts and dimensions. She blurrs the boundaries between this plane and another, energy and stagnancy, the ethereal and the earth. She mixes passion and vitality of Willem de Kooning and the illustrative genius of Frida Kahlo-- while simultaneously embracing the soul baring quality of these greats with the three dimensional sculptural techniques inherent in the contemporary art of today.

Bringing in yet another level, she juxtaposes earthy, gritty textural depth of our all-so-human struggle with mortality and the softness of innocence, nature and  the elements.

Contact Us for information about this artist.

"Trapped "

 Picture made with gravel, sand, glue, flour, spray paint & polymer coating

"Without a Ladder" 

I walk past a field of green where trees grow and flowers bloom
The field is covered with people like a crowded room
Faces I know and love and others that are strangers to me
All are living their lives, some in sorrow and some happily
I walk through the crowds of people dressed in rags with a shovel in my hand
All the conversations going on, my ears can no longer stand I walk through the field of green searching for a place to dig
I find a patch of dirt hardened and uncovered with green
So I take to the ground like a pig
I begin to dig
I dig and dig till the sounds of laughter begin to fade away
I look up and see the faces I know holding ladders down my way
I look away and continue digging
I dig and dig without a ladder right from the beginning I dig and dig till only worms and dirt surrounds me
I look up and the faces are still there extending their ladders to me
I look away and continue to dig till their faces are nothing but a blur
I dig and dig till their sweat voices are a slur
I dig till my arms grow tired
I dig and dig without a ladder
I sit in my hole for a while till hunger and thirst bites at my soul
I sit in my hole till the silence starts to take its toll
I look up and reach for the ladders
But my hole is too deep and the ladders aren’t long enough to reach.
I can still see the blurred faces through the bright light from the sun
My hole begins to cave in on me slowly but I can’t run
I can no longer breathe
I can no longer see the faces that held the ladders for me
Now that my hole has eaten me alive
All I can do is sit here and cry
The sound of concrete falls on my covered hole with a thumping tone
It is the sound of my tombstone
I can hear the sorrows and misery
The faces above are crying for me
And on my tombstone is engraved
Because she dug without a ladder here she lays.

"My Own Mola"

 Made from gauze, glue, acrylic paint, and polymer coating.

The Mola forms part of the traditional costume of a Kuna woman (Panamanian Indian). The Kuna's native language, "Mola" means "shirt" or "clothing". The Mola originated with the tradition of Kuna women painting their bodies with geometrical designs, using available natural colors; in later years these same designs were woven in cotton, and later still, sewn using cloth bought from the European settlers of Panamá. I’m a descendent of a combination of a Panamanian, and West Indian woman. I wanted to bring to life my own version of what the Mola means to me through visual and emotional stimulation by combining both cultures with my American instincts.

"Pain Shackles Being "

Dark
shadows
I throw down
upon the Earth,
fears.

Harsh
recall
of wicked
reality
sears.

Mind
rotten,
it enslaves
true Me in chains,
tears.

"Jaime"

Acrylic paint, gauze, polymer coating

  REFLECTION

I prayed to God another day
For things in which I could not explain
I prayed to be loved by someone else
When I should have asked him to show me how to love myself
I looked in the mirror, and what did I see?
Something that could not have been created by thee
So I got on my knees and prayed
Dear Lord please show me the way
When I looked at my self again
I saw the beauty that was within
But God was not done with me just yet
For the devil had waged a little bet
He told God I would hate my thighs
My hair, stomach, and even my eyes
But with a smile, God replied
Devil, you’re full of lies!
For anyone who walks with me
Has beauty inside and out that the whole world will see
With the devil whispering in my ear
I prayed to God to take away my fear
I started to praise him for who I am and will be
I asked him to help me to see what he has always seen in me
And just like that, the answer came to me
That someone he sent to love me Is me!
And before I could love someone else
I had to learn to love myself
So when I looked in the mirror again
I saw that the devil is a liar
And the beauty I have always had outside and within.

"Gratitude"

Magazine clippings and acrylic paint.With all of life’s unhappiness there’s always a flower ready to bloom.

"Fear"

 Picture made with acrylic & water colors, and polymer coating      

 Blind Emotions 

 My body lies here, but my mind wonders.  
Mysterious places find me when I least expect it.   
My eyes are empty, but focused to life.  
I hear shouts that follow me forever.  
I don’t try my best because I am afraid, but I want to try to show I have no fear.  
I’m smarter than people think, and stronger than they would expect.  
I hide my tears behind my wild stories, knowing the truth shall break my spirit!  
I got kef to forget and bombed to remember.
 People walk past my image, and though it may not be perfect, it’s real.  
Sometimes I’m screaming for help, but no one hears me.  
If the world were colorblind it would take a lot of package off my back.  
Teachers and friends say they understand,
but unless they grew up a Negro they don’t.
   They say it doesn’t make a difference what color I am,
but if I were to marry their sons their opinions would change.  
I’m all human, all flesh and blood.  
I have tears so don’t ignore my cries.   I have feelings so don’t push me away.  
Someday I will get what I’m searching for,
 but all good things must come to an end.


  

"Dignity"


Pico Della Mirandola and the "Oration on the Dignity of Man"

Pico Della Mirandola exposited an idea of dignity in the "Oration on the Dignity of Man" that is based on a Neo-Platonist framework of man's role in the universe.

Since man occupies the highest place in the chain of being in comparison with other creatures, he has the unique ability to learn from all the other entities in the universe. This confers man free-will as he is able to choose actions based upon the knowledge that he can acquire.

It is this ability to act with moral autonomy due to man's unique place in the universe by which humanity can have dignity.

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