Diagnosis: Ideaphoria

Posted by Emily Myers on July 4, 2012

The cure for Stephanie Kirk was to become an artist. In the pharmaceutical industry, Kirk excelled in starting new programs from scratch. Her “tolerance for chaos” was high enough to survive while she structured a solution to a problem.

Twelve years ago, though, Kirk fled from the corporate cubicle and started to figure out the next step in her life. Part of the process included aptitude testing by Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation. The test results for creativity were so high that there was a concern that she might not have sufficient outlet for her ideaphoria.

Wiktionary defines ideaphoria as an experience where one feels a constant onslaught of new ideas, creating a euphoric state of idea creation. Kirk’s best ideas come while in the shower and when riding the subway.

Kirk explored many avenues including painting sets for plays and being a docent for the Delaware Museum of Natural History. One day she found herself with a camera in her hand. She took a course from Lee Wexler at University of Pennsylvania. After a few weeks, Lee told her she was ready to study art in New York.

After many courses, exhibitions — and awards — followed.

In the beginning, Kirk did her own dark room work. As she branched into color, she decided to back away from the complexity and toxicity of those processes. She works closely with a film developer Gerry Pioprowski who “makes the photographs better than they are.”

Kirk eschews digital photography and Photoshop imaging. Digital images are too crisp and do not capture the subject as Kirk sees it. A growing challenge is the disappearance of Kirk’s favorite films. A film brand named Royal Gold which captures reds as the artist sees them is disappearing from the shelves.

Her piece, “Potholders,” shown above, reflects the artist’s willingness to go beyond a basic photograph to create an image. She finds traditional frames do not work for her art. Each piece has individual treatment for hanging and is one of a kind.

This summer, Kirk’s work “Contemporary Still Life Photography” is on exhibit at The Art Center at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts Grand Junction Colorado. Her web site is http://www.skirkphotos.com/

Her newest exhibit, “And the WORD is…” is celebrating a grand opening on Friday, July 6 at The Delaware Museum of Contemporary Art.

Other artists in the show are Martin Brief, Nick Kripal, and David Stephens. Curator J. Susan Issacs wanted to combine these works into a show to “explore the use of religious language in contemporary art.”

Looking ahead, Kirk is swirling ideas about the theme “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.” She is not sure what direction the work will take her, but it will be about time, where you are in your own time line, and appreciation of where you are right now.

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years. She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982. ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors. Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.