Stacie Leigh Bumgarner creates fine art, illustrations, and other original works using a range of media and techniques – including drawings in charcoal /pastel, paintings in watercolor/oils/acrylic, and printmaking using wood engraving, mokuhanga woodblock techniques, and etching.
She uses these combinations of materials and method to investigate ideas that capture her imagination, many times returning to resonant content and imagery to explore it in different ways.
Stacie's background in the biological sciences, teaching, and laboratory research greatly influences her practice and the content of her work, which often explores themes of process. contemplation, the natural world, and the wonder of discovery. Her pieces often summon storytelling, calling the viewer to imagine a narrative, sometimes playful and other times more deeply introspective.
Stacie earned bachelor's degrees in Drawing and Painting (B.F.A.) and Biology (B.S.) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1997, went on to study Philosophy of Science (M.A.) at the Johns Hopkins University, and was awarded her Ph.D. in Biology from MIT in 2008.
She has been creating custom illustrations and technical drawings for research scientists for more than two decades. Her work has been featured on the covers of journals including Cell, Cell Metabolism, Nature Genetics, and Immunity.
Since moving to Philadelphia in 2011, Stacie has focused her energy on creating, making and continuing to learn - expanding her skill set through workshops led by artists at the Fleisher Art Memorial, the Brandywine Conservancy, and Frogman’s Printmaking Workshops.
Her own creative workspace - called Red Windmill Studio - is located at The Cedar Works, a reclaimed warehouse in West Philly that's now used for artist studios and for community-oriented work.