“I always paint from life. I believe it to be the ultimate in representational art because it is about real experience and demands the highest level of skill. When you paint from life, the subject, the environment and you interact as one together.” STEPHANIE BIRDSALL received her formal training at the City and Guilds of London Art School in England. After graduation she spent time traveling through Europe honing her skills as a plein air painter. Upon her return to the United States, Stephanie continued her study under several top artists including: Albert Handel, Ramon Kelly, and Quang Ho and has been fortunate to paint under the tutelage of Richard Schmid and the Putney Painters for the past eight years. In recent years, she has excelled at painting florals and still lives in both oil and pastel. Her work has garnered recognition and more than 50 major awards in national and international juried exhibitions. She has exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London, England, Bargemon in France and at the National Arts Club in New York. Among the awards she has received are Best in Show at the Bridgeport Museum of Arts and Science, the Grumbacher Gold Medallion Award, the Degas Pastel Society Exceptional Merit Award,the Connecticut Pastel Society Herman Margulies Award and the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, John Manship Award. In 2004 her work was selected by the National Academy of the Arts for inclusion in the Arts for the Parks National Exhibition. Stephanie and her work has been featured in popular publications such as International Artist Magazine, Southwest Art, Plein Air Magazine, American Art Collector and The Pastel Journal. Public Broadcasting station WGCU aired a special on her work in June of 2005 as part of their "Expressions" television series. Stephanie's work is among the permanent collections of the Museum of the Everglades, Everglades National Monument; Florida Museum of Art & Culture, The Florida State Art Collection at the Florida