Spencer is a visual artist from Blue Earth, Minnesota. Her work typically features landscapes and rural settings. Flowers appear in many of her pieces.

Growing up in rural Minnesota, Spencer was exposed to the beauty of the countryside. This created a love of nature and the outdoors.

She said the draw of painting was being able to recreate a moment in time that could not be repeated.

Spencer learned her painting technique from a friend and fellow artists while taking a class. Early on, she developed a fondness for the pallet knife technique. This is when an artist applies paint with a knife rather than a brush. The result is a unique, textured style that leaves a layered appearance to a painting.

Stephanie Spencer’s birch tree painting matches her outdoor theme. Spencer has a love for recreating moments in time that cannot be repeated.

It also allows the viewer to see individual paint strokes. Up close, her paintings look like a series of unrelated lines, but from a distance the scene is clear.

Spencer acknowledged that up close her paintings can look chaotic but take a step back and the mind will figure it out. She believes the approach makes the paintings more interesting and beautiful.

Spencer does not consider herself a full-time painter. It was only recently that friends and family began requesting paintings from her. During the COVID pandemic, she had more time on her hands and dove into her art.

Spencer’s paintings have been exhibited at other shows in the region, but this is her first solo show.

The Stephanie Spencer Exhibit will be on display at the Grand from Friday, Oct. 28 through Wednesday, Nov. 23.

Up closer, Stephanie Spencer’s work may seem chaotic, but from a distance a collection of lines reveals a barn.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.