Artist and Advocate Stacey Landfield's Online Art Gallery Commences Today - Celebrating the Beauty of Animals

In her beautiful Southern California home-based studio, surrounded by canvases depicting emotionally expressive animals, Stacey Landfield dips her brush into vibrant acrylics and continues what she considers her life's mission: giving voice to creatures who cannot speak for themselves. The self-taught artist has spent decades translating her deep connection with animals into paintings that challenge viewers to see beyond fur, feathers and scales to recognize the emotional depth that she knows exists in all living beings. "I try to express animals in the way I perceive them," Landfield said. "Emotional, clever, loving, contemplative, joyful and funny." Stacey Landfield is co-hosting an online gallery beginning today September 25th and running through October 2, 2025 at Noon. It is a public event, where those who join can view and appreciate her beautiful art which also serves to strengthen the bond between human and animal. This is the direct link to join the event and appreciate the Landfield’s stunning art: Stacey Landfield’s Online Art Gallery Event Benefiting Animals. Those interested in purchasing one of her original paintings or various prints of each original may do so at the aforementioned link.

Each animal species has their own way of interacting with their own kind, and it takes a while (for most) to understand another species' language." Love though and kindness, compassion and empathy, respect - all are easily understood being that the universal language of all beings is love.
Her artistic journey began in childhood, fostered by a mother who was also an artist. At the age of four, Landfield recalls standing at an easel outdoors, painting a forest scene with oil paints. When she dipped her brush into maroon and painted between the trees, she remembers feeling "hypnotized by that color,” stating, "I felt as if I was in the painting experiencing the trees."
That early experience with art, painting who she very much relates to and has from a young age, the animals, would prove to be somewhat prophetic. Today, Landfield describes her creative process as entering "a timeless place connected to the spirit world" where healing, love and joy flow through her hands onto canvas, so that she can share this beauty with countless others through her art. Working primarily with acrylics on gesso board, all of her paintings blend oil and watercolor techniques and are of various sizes. Landfield creates 16-by-20-inch prints of each of her paintings. Her subjects range from tigers and horses to lizards and donkeys, each chosen to express specific traits she wants to communicate. Most of her art collection is available in prints, and she does commissioned work on a regular basis.

Stacey Landfield’s connection to animals runs deeper than artistic inspiration. Landfield's father used to joke that she said "horse" before "mama" or "daddy." She shares her life with four rescued animals: two horses and two dogs, each with stories of trauma and healing that mirror themes in her artwork.

Solomon, her nearly 30-year-old horse, has been her companion through decades of adventures galloping through the countryside. When their dog Lucy died five years ago, Solomon stopped eating and drinking in what Landfield describes Solomon being in a deep state of grief, finding it difficult to move forward without Lucy. She slept near him in the snow; praying and using massage, acupuncture, herbs and other treatments to nurse him back to health, and to help him heal his heart, soul and strong compassionate, loving spirit.

Landfield’s horse, Ned, is a rescue mustang whose trust issues stem from a traumatic government roundup; he continues to require patient care after 12 years. These experiences with animal suffering and resilience directly influence her art. "Because my heart is so directly connected to the suffering the animals are experiencing continually, it just comes out of me," Landfield said. "Because of this connection, their joy also emanates through my hands." She helps animals heal and know love in her presence, and Landfield is their voice, through her art with her love shining through, as it is contained within each brushstroke of every painting, representing a pure heart of love for them.
Some of her favorite works emerge through what she calls paintings that "paint themselves" — compositions that evolve organically as she works, similar to musicians jamming. One cherished piece depicts a horse hiding behind a tree in a forest, painted before she ever met Ned, who exhibited the exact same behavior when she first rescued him. Another deeply personal work shows the donkey that carried Jesus into Jerusalem, depicted in conversation with God about the crucifixion. Such pieces remain in her bedroom, too intimate and heartfelt to sell.

Landfield draws inspiration from skies, books, songs and what some would consider, “mundane daily occurrences,” yet there is nothing mundane about daily beautiful occurrences. There is a lot of joy and beauty in each day when one seeks to find it. She particularly admires painter Maxfield Parrish's technique of layering unmixed colors to let the eye blend them, a method she sometimes incorporates into her own work.

Her artistic mission extends beyond aesthetic beauty to advocacy. Through her paintings, Landfield hopes to deepen human understanding of animal emotions and intelligence. “They are very much like us and experience a wide range of emotions to the fullest extent, sometimes more deeply than many humans who shut themselves off from what it is to love, usually caused from trauma and heartbreak. Animals have the ability to help humans remember that love is what we are all here to do, and to represent, and to simply be.”

Animals remind all that empathy, compassion, kindness and love represent what we all need to give and to receive from others. Animals need us - to protect them, to extend compassion, and love, empathy and kindness to them at all times. That is the truth.

Stacey Landfield’s philosophy extends to her environmental activism. Landfield argues that factory farming represents one of the leading causes of global destruction, contributing to deforestation, water pollution and wildlife decimation. She notes that wildlife now comprises only 4% of land-based life, while farmed animals account for 65% and humans the remainder. "Humans need to stop eating animals if we are to survive as a species," she said. "You cannot expect to be alive and healthy when you are consuming death."

Viewers consistently respond positively to her work. At her most recent show, several people told her it was their favorite art displayed. One visitor became emotional upon seeing her painting "Seba" in person. Others have described her work as unusual, unique, fun and sometimes very lighthearted, and humorous, all while conveying simple truths that matter.
"I had someone walk into my studio and she said, 'I feel like I should be charged for this,'" Landfield recalled with a laugh.

The response validates her belief that art can serve as a bridge between species, helping humans recognize qualities in animals that mirror their own experiences and feelings, which we are all capable of - human and animal.

"Being with an animal to help them heal and to help us heal, in our times of sorrow, and also by being present when they are joyful, and experiencing that joy with them, are all some of the most loving things a person can do," she said, recalling childhood moments when she would run to her horse for comfort.

As she continues creating from her studio, surrounded by stacks of sketches, stating that she'll probably "never live long enough to paint (all of them)," Landfield remains committed to her role as an artistic advocate for the animal kingdom. "I think I am on earth for this," she said simply. She is doing what she loves, and giving many special, loved beings - a voice.
For commission inquiries, Landfield can be contacted via the aforementioned event link or found on Facebook and Instagram under her name and Stacey_Landfield_Artist. If you see a painting that you would like to purchase, or to request a print version of one (or a few of them), readers may view all of the paintings and prints available for purchase here: Stacey Landfield Online Art Gallery - Celebrating the Beauty of Animals.