The Artist Stencil Queen & the Psychology of the Fem-Pop Art Movement by John Catso

Who is the mysterious artist called Stencil Queen?

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” - Andy Warhol

"All men are assholes." - Stencil Queen

----- On a recent visit to Dallas Texas we became aware of a mysterious artist called Stencil Queen whom we met one sunny afternoon on the patio of a place called The Lakewood Landing. Just looking for a casual place to sit outside and have a cold beer & maybe a cheese burger, a friend and I saw the  The Lakewood Landing suddenly appear to our right and so we stopped. As a person who grew up in Dallas, it is often the unexpected which brings the best experiences.
  Only 2 or 3 people sat outside so we did too.
As is often the case when sitting outside on patios, people can get  into conversations & soon a youngish appearing female  joined us in a welcoming manner. Smoking a cigarette & swigging a Lone Star beer in a bottle while well dressed, she soon regaled us with tales of her life and art. Articulate, talented and well versed, she soon had our attention,
         Stencil Queen: Born and raised on a 40 acre farm in the tiny town of Cut & Shoot, Texas ( yes it's a real place) she later ended up playing an accordion while busking in Austin , living in Thailand for 2 years with an arms dealer, attaining a Psychology Degree from UNT ( University of North Texas ) and also making art in the process.
After seeing cell phone photos of her art we begged her to show us in person so we visited her studio nearby. After picking up a six pack, we soon went in.
        Art is important to Stencil Queen not only as a healing expressive mechanism and psychological balm for her personal emotional state but also as a personal Feminist statement. Her art postures a tough persona while hiding a soft beautiful  soul, all while obsessively laboring away at her works.
    As a Cultural Practicioner artist utilizing various mixed media techniques, Stencil Queen is creating an interesting body of work we will just call Fem-Pop. Fem-Pop because all the subjects in her work which we saw were female and because her work carries Pop Art sensibilities
 Female musicians and singers seem to be her current fascination of choice.
Dolly Parton, Liz Phair, Bjork, Britney, Deborah Harry & others are depicted in large ish works she has layered unto Birch wood panels.

Karen Dalton (center) and Deborah Harry (right) by Stencil Queen

   Another female singer musician Karen Dalton, is also featured in the works. Karen Dalton, born in Bonham,Texas (Born:1937 Died:1993 ) was an American country blues singer, guitarist, and banjo player. She was associated with the early 1960s Greenwich Village NY folk music scene of which Bob Dylan was also around.
Although she did not enjoy much commercial success during her lifetime, her music has gained significant recognition since her death and many count her as an inspiration. Her ethereal and haunting voice continues to captivate listeners.
All in all, the iconic art of Stencil Queen carries a powerful message of female empowerment & feminist work ethic. This stuff just doesn't make itself.

Stencil Queen 88 makes art that people should buy.

In our experience, we feel her oeuvre is admirable and are excited that she might branch out into other techniques. Her work carries a poetic quality and she  is one of our favorite Dallas artists. More of her powerful works can be seen & bought here at her website or @stencilqueen88

Stencil Queen (left) and Lemon Loaner (right) discuss some truisms of Feminist Art practice over a cold one.

  We also met Miss Lemon Loaner while at Lakewood Landing in Dallas. Lemon Loaner is another very talented Feminist Pop artist so please check out her works too.
After living in Los Angeles for too long, it was nice to meet friendly creative people & experience something interesting related to art while visiting Dallas.