Wild Atlantic Porcelain Series

 

Wild Atlantic Porcelain

Part allegory, part portrait, this painting series explores grief, the masks of idealized identity and reality beyond the surface. Drawing inspiration from formal eighteenth-century portraiture, each platter—adorned with delicate floral patterns on porcelain china—becomes a symbol of the curated life: happy families, holiday traditions, and the pursuit of a beautiful home. Yet behind the bone-white glaze lies a deeper narrative. As a second-generation Mexican American, I question the cost of assimilation and search for a cultural connection that has been suppressed. These works also speak about personal loss, and to a broader erosion—of ancestral memory, and a world of ecological abundance. Still, through the cracks, beauty, love and humor persist.

 


Stephanie-Maria-Wild-Atlantic-Porcelain
 

Wild Atlantic Porcelain

A Trompe l’oeil painting of an antique fish platter tries to re-enter its former pre-plate existence. A blue moon is reflected in the waters of the wild Atlantic.  Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 72" x 48".
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.
Stephanie-Maria-Once-Youre-A-Plate-You-Can-Never-Go-Back

Once You're A Plate You Can Never Go Back

A realistic Trompe l’oeil painting of a vintage porcelain fish platter that is trying to re-enter its former pre-plate existence. The blue ribbon border of the platter is repeated in the pond and mimics waves and ripples on the water’s surface. 60" x 48". 
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.

Souvenir Beach

An abstract and surreal landscape mimics the scene painted on a vintage platter of a large sturgeon in a beautiful sea. Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 60" x 36".
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.
Stephanie-Maria-Sun-Sets-On-Porcelain-Charger

Sun Sets On Porcelain Charger

Strange and surreal seascape depicting a smoke tinted sky and a large vintage porcelain charger that glows from a setting sun’s reflection.
Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 60" x 36". 
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.

 

Stephanie-Maria-Corona

Corona

Abstract and surreal landscape includes a ceramic fish plate that is an inspiration of the painted landscape. Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 16" x 24". 
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.

Stephanie-Maria-Pond-Life

Pond Life

Although encapsulated in a porcelain glazed plate, a small fish eagerly dives into a verdant green pond. Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 48.5" x 24.5". 
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.

Stephanie-Maria-Piece-Of-My-Heart

Piece Of My Heart

A trompe l’oeil painting of a warped, lovingly preserved antique platter  gazes out as a family portrait and floats in a swirling abstract red  and black background. Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 72" x 42". 
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.

Heirloom

An abstract intense red and black background contrasts with a strangely flattened porcelain platter with delicate flowers and gold ribbon edge. Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 44" x 33.5". 
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.

Faces Of The Moon

A trompe l’oeil painting of a white porcelain platter with delicate floral motifs floats in front of another moon shaped object in a mysterious and moody setting. Acrylic house paint on wood panel, 48" x 48".
Photo by Lynne Damianos Photography.