Interview: NoMo SoHo Artist-in-Residence Stephanie Ketty
Expressive painted works grace the walls of this NYC hotel’s lobby
An expressive flourish of color and texture, gestural shapes and conceptual forms—all of these layers grace the canvases of NYC-based fine artist Stephanie Ketty. The current NoMo SoHo artist in residence, Ketty has works on display in the lobby; she also recently live-painted the mesmerizing centerpiece in the hotel’s penthouse. It’s been a busy October for the painter, who had an acrylic and oil wax crayon on canvas piece, “Sporadic Solitude” (2024) in ARTWALK NY’s Coalition for the Homeless: Benefit Auction 2024, and contributed “Everything is Promising” (2024) to an engaging group exhibit entitled The Collective II with the global arts platform and community Visionary Projects. Presently, Ketty is in the planning stages for three 2025 shows, one each in Paris, New York City and Los Angeles. In conjunction with her residency, we spoke with Ketty to learn more about her passion, process and palette.
Will you share a bit about the origin of this show? How did you become involved with NoMo SoHo and its residence?
I have lived in the neighborhood for years, and have always loved the property. I got connected through Highgate who reached out about a collaboration and, of course, I jumped at the opportunity. It just made so much sense. A lot of the work comes from my experiences in this neighborhood—all of the feelings and meetings and stories that have come from my time here. I think the origin of the show is really expressing that.
When did you craft the body of work on display here?
The 16 pieces of work on display were created in Soho over the past 15 years. However, the centerpiece of the show was created in the penthouse of the NoMo SoHo, surrounded by friends. It’s funny, I had never really painted in front of that many people before, but there was something about all of the light coming through at different times of the day, overlooking the neighborhood I’ve lived in for so long, that produced a different expression in me. The centerpiece is almost a reflection of the show itself, but with the levity of a higher vantage point meeting the intimacy of community. This piece feels like me inviting people into my work and my process, so it feels right that it’s in the center of the show.
How does new work start for you?
It doesn’t just start one way, from a tactical perspective. However, in the end it does come from a moment of feeling—sadness, joy, release, whatever. Painting is very therapeutic. My day job is very people-facing and strategic, so when I want to get emotion out I funnel it through my art. There’s very little pre-planning. It’s very “grab the palette and go to the backyard,” or wherever. I don’t really plan anything but the size of the canvas. I’d say the work almost starts itself as one of the only times I feel like I don’t have to think to express myself.
Can you talk about your relationship to the use of color?
Color, to me, is deeply linked to a range of emotions. Saturation, warmth, coolness, what have you, are all connected like fibers to memory or feelings I’m having or have had. Color has always been a language to me, and in a lot of ways is one of the core parts of why I started painting. I love finding passion and joy and energy in bold or hot hues, while being reminded of calm landscapes and the feeling of gratitude and stillness in cooler, deeper tones—a lot of those more tranquil notes I found in Oregon this summer with my boyfriend. I also think traveling and seeing new environments have helped me shake loose new ideas too. When I paint, I’m constantly searching to hone a visual language that will connect to people the way color connects to me.
My paintings are my stories because they create constellations of feelings and connections and memories.
Is there something you hope people know about your art practice, or you hope they observe in your art?
I hope people know that this is what I was born to do. It’s a coincidence, I guess, that I landed a 15-year career working alongside some of the biggest brands in the world to help them tell their story, because within all that I find a lot of creative energy in those relationships, and with New York. I think after all this time I finally understand that I’m also a storyteller myself. My paintings are my stories because they create constellations of feelings and connections and memories. Though perhaps not linear, just like my journey as a painter, they tell the story of what the world looks like and feels like to me. I hope when people see my work they can tune into their own creativity too.
Can you describe your studio or where you work—what does it look like, how often are you there, how do you use it?
I’ve always painted in my home. I also have a garden space at my place in SoHo. I paint on my bed, I paint on my couch, I paint on my roof. I paint wherever I paint! One of my goals for 2025 though is to build a dedicated space, even though I’m scrappy it would be nice to settle down.
What are your thoughts?