Stephanie Langlois
Duck and Cover
Stephanie Langlois paints a fantastical world, populated with ghosts and rubber duckies. With a distinctive style and recurring motifs, the artist’s work reflects the human experience through a colourful and cartoony lens.
Writer: Sam Williams
Stephanie Langlois
HAILING from Jersey in the Channel Islands, Stephanie began creating from a young age, encouraged by supportive parents and artistic grandparents. “I’ve always loved painting and making things. It’s something that’s stuck with me on and off for years,” said Stephanie on her formative years. “Growing up, I was often told my art was too naive or immature, but I actually think that’s become one of my biggest strengths.”
King in the Castle
First moving to New Zealand in 2003, Stephanie eventually settled in Brisbane six years later, going on to study business and art at the University of Southern Queensland in Springfield. Art was something she would often revisit over the years, before her creative career began to take shape. “During COVID, I ran a small business painting custom, hand-painted shoes, which was such a fun, creative outlet at the time,” said Stephanie. “But it wasn’t until the end of 2023 that I really found my niche and sent my first quirky character out into the world. Since then, it’s been amazing to see how warmly people have responded to my work. It’s been such an encouraging and surreal experience.”
Laundry Day
Stephanie, a project officer for Queensland Health when she’s not painting, cites a range of influences for her wonderfully offbeat acrylic artworks. “I draw a lot of inspiration from the older Disney cartoons. I love their vibrant colours and how every part of a scene is carefully designed to evoke a feeling.
That kind of storytelling and emotion really sticks with me when I’m creating.” Even a conversation with a friend can lead to the conception of a mainstay in Stephanie’s vivid works. “The rubber ducks came about thanks to a good friend who sent me a photo of a tiny duck and suggested I paint it,” recounted Stephanie. “As soon as I started painting the rubber duck, he took on a life of his own, and I began weaving some of my own stories into his character.
That’s how the duck became this ‘life as it is’ figure, contrasting with the ghost, who represents ‘life as it should be.’” And the artist has a simple philosophy on which concepts make the cut - “if I feel like the idea will tell a story or make someone laugh, that’s my green light to dive in.”
““I draw a lot of inspiration from the older Disney cartoons.””
And Stephanie isn’t ducking around. As one of our favourite new artists, we’re sure she’ll be making waves with her colourful cohort. “You can definitely look forward to lots more ducks, ghosts, corgis, and wombats popping up in my work. I’m also starting a new duck project that journeys through time - something that stretches from ancient days to the present, with plenty of surprises along the way.”
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