Stacy Lynne Wendkos first discovered horses when she was 5 years old and watched the movie “The Black Stallion” for the first time. Having that little girl love of horses, it wasn’t long before she was enrolled in riding lessons and was instantly hooked. Five years later, she discovered photography when she got her first camera, a Kodak Disc, with allowance money she had saved up. In high school, Stacy was given her father’s old manual Minolta SLR with two lenses and the spark of interest Stacy had for photography ignited into a full-fledged passion. Horses and photography have remained central to her life ever since, although they stayed on separate tracks the first half of her life, learning and growing within each discipline. She began developing black and white film and prints, mastering the ins and outs of the darkroom. During a year abroad at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, she honed her skills for framing and using light and shadow. She also experimented with alternative processes for developing images and studied the theory behind creating color photographs. Though she was drawn to photography, she shelved her camera for several years while attending law school. Stacy’s photography has been inspired by many different styles and genres. Throughout school, she maintained an interest in all art and studied its history. Her style is influenced by contemporary photography masters - Man Ray, Robert Mapplethorpe, Annie Leibowitz - as well as National Geographic photographers. These influences lead to a dual interest in nature and portrait photography, including nudes and the human form. Stacy uses the principles of chiaroscuro to produce dimension with light and shadow to create and convey emotion within her work. Stacy’s continued obsession with horses compels her to refine her techniques and to seek new ways to capture the unique personalities and temperaments of her subjects, but she also uses tight detail shots and interesting angles to show the beauty of every aspect of the horse. Her goal is for people to feel the light glancing off individual hairs, the ripple in hair delineating the massive muscles of a horse, and the power and presence these animals radiate. Although the bulk of her artwork consists of horses, Stacy continues to explore and expand her portfolio with work from her studio including flowers and her kitchen series, as well as landscape/nature photography.