Stephanie Dobbins

I am a contemporary artist living and working in Virginia. My work is rooted in a fascination with beauty—particularly the kind found in unexpected places. I paint partially intuitive, building on photos of the area around me, using expressive color, layered surfaces, drawing, and mark-making to create work that feels both familiar and a little unexpected.
I work primarily in oils and mixed media, moving between figures, animals, florals, and abstracted landscapes. Although my subjects vary, my approach remains consistent: I build and disrupt, soften and sharpen, obscure and reveal, allowing each painting to evolve rather than trying to control every part of it from the beginning.
I am especially drawn to the point where representation begins to loosen into abstraction. I want my paintings to hold a sense of wonder and discovery—to invite the viewer to look a little longer and perhaps find something beautiful they didn't expect to see.

Milan Art Institute — Mastery Program
Fine Art / Professional Artist Training
Current
Mt. San Jacinto College — Menifee, California
Fine Art Studies and art history

2026 — Milan Art Gallery — Sarasota, Florida
Revel in Bloom
2026 — 2nd Street Hoarders — Warrenton, Virginia
Gallery exhibition / current representation, multiple pieces
2025–Present — Prince William County, Virginia — Public Display
Aged Windowsill (2025) and Country Shack (2019), currently displayed at the county Mental Health Clubhouse