Stacy on location in Tuscany, Italy

"The Power of Whimsy" by Susan Pevaroff Berschler

(Excerpted from Home and Design Magazine, monthly supplement to The Philadelphia Inquirer)

 “Stacy’s work has a lightness that is so joyful, it just makes people happy,” notes Lynn Oberstein, owner of Merritt Young Gallery in Ardmore, PA, with--what else--a smile.  “Along with the whimsical subject matter, the colors vibrate at a high level and generate a feeling of warmth and fun. Aptly named the “Feel Good” series, Dynan’s most popular collection celebrates free spirited women in motion, bicycling and flying planes through creatively enchanted landscapes; clearly reveling in the magic of the journey--not unlike the artist herself.

Dynan’s personal flight of fancy began as a spontaneous impulse and has soared to dramatic, life altering proportions.  While walking home from work one day, the then telecommunications consultant became transfixed by a painting in the window of a London gallery.  The landscape abstract, by Scottish artist John Brown, ignited a passion within that compelled Dynan to walk across the street and purchase her very first art supplies.  Once at home, new brushes flowed over blank canvas, unleashing--remarkably and definitively--Dynan’s inner painter.  “I had never held a paint brush before, but an hour later, I had a painting of my own,” she recalls. ““To this day, I still don’t know how or why, but here I am.” 

Dynan’s work definitely strikes an emotional chord during these stressful times, says Oberstein, delighted to discover and showcase artists who think outside the box. “She left her comfort zone to break through the boundaries of both her own and others’ expectations,” beams Oberstein, the proud parent.  “Like their creator, the women in her paintings dare to dream.”