Inside Stephanie’s Inspiring Journey from being a Jazz Singer to a Painter

Stephanie McLean, a multi-talented artist, shares her journey from being a jazz singer to becoming a painter. With a BFA in Music from Concordia University, she spent years performing and working in the corporate world before rediscovering her love for painting during the pandemic. In this Interview Stephanie talks about how her experience as a jazz vocalist influences her art and her deep connection to universal energy. She also gives us a peek into her latest projects, including portraits of musicians and zodiac signs and her exciting new series on animals. Stephanie aims to inspire compassion and a greater appreciation for the natural world through her colorful and energetic paintings.

Stephanie’s innate artistry is the deepest resource in her life. Until 2021, Stephanie gave her painting a secondary role. After graduating with a BFA in Music (focusing on jazz) from Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec) in 1995, she knows that any form of creative and artistic expression is harnessed from the same force. Primarily, Stephanie had been a performing artist — as a jazz vocalist and in theatre — and had professionally designed books, posters, and presentations for corporations. Through her experiences on stages and in boardrooms, Stephanie witnessed how people from all walks of life express their creative impulses. In 2021, she decided to focus all her artistic energies on painting musician portraits of this creative drive. Then, in Spring 2022, she began a series of portraits to explore universal energy and the zodiac signs. Stephanie’s artistic approach is to sense and follow the flow of universal energy and to trust the direction in which she finds her paint colors flowing. In her artistic practice, she looks forward to portraying the unique, creative shapes and energies of people and creatures from all walks of life.

1. Stephanie, your switch from singing jazz to painting portraits is fascinating. How does your jazz singer experience shape how you paint people?

I don’t know that it was a “switch,” which sounds like I made a quick decision. I had a LONG break between these two experiences. This was when I joined the corporate world because I was tired of not making a living singing in Toronto. My job required so much of my energy that singing in the evenings and weekends started to peter out. When I was let go of my ‘corporate’ job in 2021, my focus brought me back to painting, and when I started painting musician portraits. For me, painting musician portraits – jazz musicians, specifically – seemed like a natural transition into portraiture. I loved – and STILL love – all the old and new jazz vocalists and musicians. It’s definitely my favourite music style, although I do enjoy all types of music and enjoy being introduced to new styles. I remember the energy of performing in all those clubs and festival venues when I was painting Charles Mingus, Billy Holiday, and my other jazz musicians.

Painting is both similar and different to my work on stage and to corporate design. It’s akin to being on stage because the end product of what you’ve created is what is shared with your audience – be it in person or online.

Stephanie McLean

2. You mentioned that you’re drawn to people’s energy. How do you show this creative energy in your paintings, especially with performers and musicians?

I listen to their music while painting their portraits. If the song I’m listening to is more upbeat, I tend to add splashes of color and “wild” marks and texture to the background and sometimes add almost indiscriminate motion lines around their body. For example, if the song is more bluesy, I add many drips and maybe darker colors to represent pain. It really depends on who I’m painting and the song I’m listening to while painting them.

3. Your latest series looks at divine female energy and zodiac signs. What made you want to explore these ideas, and how do you bring them to life in your art?

I’ve always loved astrology. I like how it allows us to learn more about who we are and what makes us tick. My curiosity is piqued by how energy affects the human psyche, including being aware of our intuition, experiencing psychic connections, the paranormal, etc. I realized I wanted to paint female representations of the various elements (Fire, Water, Air, and Earth) while still painting my musician series. I wanted to show feminine strength, what lies beneath the feminine “surface” with these depictions, and to celebrate the various aspects of being a woman.

4. As someone who mainly taught herself to paint, what challenges have you faced in learning to paint, and how did you get past them?

My biggest challenge when painting – and I’m still working on overcoming this – is to not focus on what I want the outcome to be. (Unless, of course, I’m working on a commission.) I have learned that holding on too fiercely to a vision of what we want the painting to become thwarts the creative growth of the project. It makes me paint more “tightly,” which drives me nuts. I like to try to be as big, bold, and loose as possible and not worry about the details. I’m constantly learning this. I myself am a constant work in progress. (Aren’t we all!?)

Painting musician portraits – jazz musicians, specifically – seemed like a natural transition into portraiture for me. I loved – and STILL love – all the old and new jazz vocalists and musicians.

Stephanie McLean

5.  You started focusing on painting full-time in 2021. What made you do this, and how is painting different from your work on stage and corporate design?

As mentioned before, I was let go of my corporate job in 2021. The Universe had something else in store for me! Having always painted (off and on, dabbling at times and more serious at others), I decided to focus on it in my free time. This coincided with COVID-19, so there was nothing much else for me to do! It was as though things had been lined up for me: the job loss, the need to express, the urge to paint, time, etc… Painting is both similar and different to my work on stage and to corporate design. It’s akin to being on stage because the end product of what you’ve created is shared with your audience – in person or online. It’s different in that it’s more of a solo experience, whereby my stage experience was always in collaboration with others – other actors or musicians. I’ve never painted in a group setting (unless it was a Paint Night many years ago). My work as a production officer/graphic designer was also more collaborative, even if the initial designs were my own. Everybody needed to weigh in on the work, from my boss to the organization’s senior staff.

6. What new themes or subjects are you excited to paint in the future, and what do you hope people feel when they see your art?

I’m currently working on an animal series, recommended by the wonderful Liza Zhurkovskaya, aka Curator on the Go. She understood my desire to follow the flow of universal energy and suggested I consider painting animal portraits, as I had already painted a lion a while back. I’ll be painting more animals, musicians, feminine expressions of astrology, and anything else I want to challenge myself with. I’m hoping viewers of this new series connect with these pieces with compassion, remembering that some animals are in danger of extinction and need to be kept on this planet and treated with care. Let’s NOT destroy their natural habitats and NOT kill them to further our own desires!

Stephanie’s journey from jazz singer to painter shows the lasting power of creativity. Her ability to turn the energy and emotion of music into visual art has led to beautiful portraits that capture the heart of her subjects. As she explores new themes and techniques, Stephanie hopes her work will inspire viewers to connect more deeply with the world around them. Whether through her musician portraits, zodiac sign series, or new animal paintings, Stephanie’s art is a joyful celebration of life and creativity. To learn more about Stephanie, click the following links to visit her profile.