About
Steevie Jane’s Art
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Steevie Jane Parks
I almost always paint intuitively. I start by creating large areas of complimentary colors and then I gradually delineate abstract shapes and try to integrate the colors and shapes into a coherent painting that conveys an emotional or spiritual message. I find the process of creating an abstract painting to be both challenging and exhilarating. I often listen to novels or music while I’m painting and I am always fascinated to discover how the content of what I am listening to unconsciously influences the content and style of my work. I enjoy playing with light, color and texture, and the way that different paint mediums can be manipulated to create almost any mood one can think of. I find that by creating abstract paintings, I am able to symbolically come to terms with a variety of emotional and spiritual challenges that are common to all people. My hope is that my audience will also find my paintings healing on both an emotional and a spiritual level.
ARTIST’S BIO
I started painting realistically in oils at age nine and took art lessons all the way through college both privately and as a student at Syracuse University, Sarah Lawrence College and the Arts Students League of New York. After a 35 year long career as a Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist in private practice, I took up painting again, but decided that I much preferred to paint large colorful abstracts. I was a member of the Orange County Artists Guild from 2019 to 2020, and then moved to Pittsboro where I am now the President of the Chatham Artists Guild. I have been showing and selling my work since 2013, and have been juried into a large number of local, national and international art shows to date.
Please read the excellent article below written by Renee Phillips, for a more articulate and coherent interpretation of my art work.
I am currently represented by Art Above Main in Burlington, N.C. www.artabovemain.com
If you represent an Art Gallery, and are interested in my work, please contact me @ steevijane@gmail.com at your earliest convenience.
VOICE ACTING
I am also a professional Voice Actress who provides audio narration services for Children’s Books, Young Adult Fiction, Adult Fiction, Commercials, and Non-Fiction for professional audiences. I studied acting as a child at the Ruth Klinger Studio in Great Neck, N.Y. and as a college student with John Braswell and Willard Leach at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y. where I played the leading role in numerous short experimental plays. After college, I did no acting at all until the early 2000’s when I started getting involved in local community theater. I started taking up voice acting in 2023 at the age of 66 because I fell in love with listening to audiobooks and felt that I could do a better job than most of the narrators that I was listening to in the car. I completed an online training program through Such A Voice where I studied both audio book narration and commercial and educational narration. I am open to all types of audio narration. I can sound like a person of any age, and am willing and able to learn to use a variety of accents and dialects. My theater background as well as my many years as a clinical psychologist working with people of all stripes, have contributed to my ability to understand my characters in depth and to communicate effectively to a wide variety of audiences.
Audio sample recordings of my voice acting work can be found at:
If you are interested in working with me as a voice actress, you can contact me through either website.
Upcoming Art Exhibits and Shows:
‘Abstract Patterns: Real and Imagined’ a joint show with photographer Eric Saunders.
This show runs from September 28th through the end of December 2024
Reception takes place on Saturday, November 9th from 4-6 pm at 120 Mosaic Parkway in Pittsboro, N.C. at 79DegreesWest http://www.79westhub.com
Chatham Studio Tour: First two full weekends in December. This year, Steevie will be showing with Glass Sculptor Louise Hobbs in Studio 9 (115 Hobbs Road in Pittsboro)
for the Studio Tours interactive brochure go to : www.chathamstudiotour.org
Pre-Tour Show. November 8th at the Art Center in Carrboro, N.C. 400 Roberson Street. from 6-8pm
All Members Show: The Smelt Gallery 210 Lorax Lane in Pittsboro. Reception December 1st 1-3pm
Also please stay tuned for information about the Chatham Artists Guild Studio Tour during the first two weekends in December 2024.
Artist Interview: Steevie Parks – Chatham Artists Guild
Here is a recent video about my paintings: https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/alumni/reunion/art-exhibit/gallery/parks-steevie-jane.html
ART
Photo Credit: Buffy Taylor
Steevie the Creative Self-Expression Coach
I have been developing my own brand of Creative Healing Through Art Workshops since ever since I became a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in December of 1988. I originally called my Workshops ‘Healing Through Art’, then ‘Accessing Creative Energy Workshops’ and finally, ‘Creative Self Expression Workshops’. I’ve studied both Art therapy and Psychodrama for many years both before and after I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and have relied on this knowledge to develop a number of self growth workshops for people of all ages. I have a Ph.D. in both Clincial and Developmental Psychology from the University of Maine where my research focused on the use of creative self expression to reduce anxiety in phobic preschool chidren. I found out that the degree of mastery reflected in children’s fantasy play behaviors was significantly related to their ability to successfully confront a feared object. This idea of using fantasy and creative self expression to resolve emotional and psychological conflicts became a passionate interest of mine, that has lasted all of my adult life. I have developed numerous techniques that I have used with children, adolescents and adults in my therapy practice for over thirty years. I am retiring from the practice of Clinical Psychology as of January 1, 2023 to pursue my art career and teaching creative self expression techniques full time.
In 2006, shortly after my 50th birthday, I became consumed with an overwhelming desire to paint again. In order to gain the confidence to pick up a brush, I felt the need to read voraciously in the area of self-coaching and creativity coaching. I was lucky enough to stumble upon the work of Dr. Eric Maisel, the founder of Creativity Coaching, and became a Certified Creativity Coach in 2015.
I have experienced the anxiety that comes from making the decision to ‘create’ for a living first hand. The life style of an Artist, An Actor, A Musician or a Writer, demands incredible self-discipline as well as an incredible amount of emotional resillience in the face of personal criticism.
I love helping both Artists and Non Artists to feel empowered to work through emotional, psychological and spiritual issues through what I call ‘Creative Self Expression Coaching’. I use all of the skills I’ve learned in the course of my life as both a Clinical Psychologist and a Visual Artist to help others to heal through the power of their own creative self-expression. It will be my honor to share all of my knowledge and experience with you, if you decide to choose me as your ‘Creative Self Expression Coach’.
Contact Me
Get In Touch
I am currently accepting creativity coaching clients and art patrons worldwide. I look forward to hearing from you.
Email: drsjparks@gmail.com
“Dr. Steevie is an amazing creativity coach. She helped me to figure out how to solve a few difficult problems that got in the way of my productivity. Dr. Steevie really knows how to ‘get into my head’. That’s because she’s an artist too, and understands what Artist’s have to go through to succeed.”
–R.L. Individual Coaching Client
‘The experiential nature of Steevie’s workshops are fabulous’
– M.L. Workshop Participant
“It was wonderful to try so many different methods of self expression in one day”
– A.J. Workshop Participant
‘Dr. Steevie is an amazing Artist as well as a Creativity Coach’
-B.R. Individual Coaching Client
“You have so much enthusiasm and artistry in your approach”
– K.R. Workshop Participant
“I learned how we can use both our perceptions and ideals to heal ourselves and ultimately others.”
– D.W. Workshop Participant
“What I like most about Steevie is that she is a wonderful ‘encourager’ and is very understanding.”
– D.S. Individual Coaching Client
‘We hear lovely comments from participants about how much they enjoy the Creativity Workshops hosted by Dr. Parks!”
– Mickie Whitley, Event Coordinator at The Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores, N.C.