Picturing Places and Spaces

Dark clouds fill the sky, and a bolt of lightning extends from the clouds to the ground, a type of lightning considered dangerous. The viewer seems to be standing on a hill with the storm rapidly approaching from the left. Only a small area of fields and hills in the right corner is yet to be subjected to the fury of nature. The power of the approaching storm is made even more compelling because of the large size of this image.

Electra Stamelos is best known as a painter, and she often painted landscapes in bright colors. She stated, "I try to gather potential subject matter in a relatively short time when I travel, using my 35mm camera or my digital [camera] in the field, I do all my serious painting in the studio." This image likely is based on her photographs, but the intensity of the scene is atypical in her body of work. Stamelos received her MFA from Eastern Michigan University in 1976. She also studied at the Corcoran Museum School and the National Art School in Washington, D.C, and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 1980, she began teaching art at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and she served as the Director of Art Acquisitions and Exhibitions on campus. Stamelos was part of many solo and group exhibitions during her career, and she served as president of the Michigan Water Color Society. Electra and her husband, William, lived in Michigan but also owned a home in Florida. Her paintings often were inspired by the scenery of these places. Electra and William created an impressive art collection that was donated to the Stamelos Gallery Center.