Phoebe Stone
Sydney-based, self-taught artist Phoebe Stone’s pastel drawings transform everyday domestic scenes into romantic dreamscapes—celebrating simple yet magical moments.
WORDS: Holly Terry I PHOTOGRAPHY: Lawrence Furzey
Rose Scallops by Phoebe Stone.
‘I've dabbled here and there in various creative pursuits, but drawing has always been my true love,’ says Phoebe Stone.
‘I work emotionally and intuitively so I don’t really start every drawing the same. I start the way that drawing asks to be started, I suppose,’ says Phoebe Stone.
“I think a big part of [making art] is intuitive, but I certainly think my design career has furthered a sort of innate understanding.”
‘I’m pretty sensitive to my environment – highly moved by the beauty of things and moments.’
‘I have such a compulsion to draw – I always need to be doing it and so I draw what’s closest to me and the most accessible. In saying that, home has always been an important place for me, the idea of home and what it suggests: love, warmth, safety, intimacy, an individual or family’s story, it’s so poetic to me.’
‘I’m quite impatient so when there is something I’ve been moved enough by to draw I want to see that take shape quickly. It has really shaped my mark making and my choice of medium in oil pastels, no waiting for anything to dry, it’s just pick up and go.’
Sydney-based artist, Phoebe Stone finds beauty in almost everything. Her pastel drawings are romantic and simplistically peaceful, depict everyday domestic scenes. The items—such as a bottle of wine, or a collected plate, however, evoke feelings of pleasure and comfort.
‘I want to hold onto those moments of enjoyment, alone, with friends, big loud dinners, small quiet coffees. There is so much beauty, enjoyment and pleasure to be had in life, I want to grab it and keep it,’ shares Phoebe.
‘I see beauty in a lot of things, a coffee pot, it’s form yes, but also what it suggests. It’s an everyday item that evokes the pleasure of sitting down with a coffee anytime I see it. How beautiful is that?’ she says..
Most profound about Phoebe’s work is her ability to capture the everyday scenes and translate them as romantic dreamscapes. Perhaps an ode to her rapid, gestural mark making and her loose grip on perfection and precision, or the way she seems to encapsulate sentiment and meaning from the items she collects. ‘A plate bought in Mexico, a spoon in Italy, they transport me to the magic of those places and that experience.’
Creative for as long as she can remember, some of the artist’s earliest memories are with pencils and paper. Her mum, always encouraging arts and crafts, developed a creative instinct in Phoebe, which became core to her childhood and went on to build some of her fondest recollections.
‘I was quite an ebullient chatty child, but I was also always a watcher and a listener. I took it all in and I still do. I’m pretty sensitive to my environment – highly moved by the beauty of things and moments,’ she shares.
The artist spent the first decade of her career as an interior designer, an avenue which directed her creativity and passion for spaces in an alternate way.
‘I loved working on spaces with stories and people’s homes. It was a different way to channel my love of spaces and the magic they can hold.’ says Phoebe. ‘I think being an interior designer also really honed my understanding of balance in compositions : yones, textures, colour, how to put it all together.’ she adds.
Nowadays, Phoebe usually spends four days in the studio per week, juggling her rapidly blossoming artistic career with her full-time gig as a mum. ‘Most days start with [my children], playing with them, getting them ready for day-care. And then it’s coffee. That’s a must for me, it’s my favourite ritual,’ she says.
After that, intuition is key. Phoebe often spends time quickly freehand sketching with no expectations before getting into anything else. ‘Sometimes I clearly know what I’m setting out to do, other days I might procrastinate quite heavily… I usually put some music on or a podcast, I do love a bit of French disco to get me going.’
To stay up to date with Phoebe’s work and exhibitions, visit her website or follow @phoebe.stone.art on Instagram.