Raised in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, Stephanie Cissna grew up surrounded by city life. “As a child I was always drawing, always creating, and I knew I wanted to be an artist,” she recalls. “My parents valued art. My mother’s oil and watercolor paintings were displayed in our home, while my father explored sculpture later in life. They were always encouraging.” Stephanie’s sister, Valerie Smith, is an equine painter and also a member of DCAA.

In high school, Cissna won a scholarship to take figure drawing classes at the Art Center School, which was a stepping stone to majoring in fine arts at UCLA. Later, she earned a BFA in interior architecture from the California College of Arts in San Francisco which eventually led to a long career as an architectural lighting designer. The 2009 recession inspired Stephanie to return to her passion for painting.

One day as she walked around her house, she was suddenly struck by all the nudes and portraits on her walls that she had painted over the years. She had an epiphany.

“I really don’t want to be surrounded by these people!,” she said. “Right then I made a conscious decision that I wanted to paint landscapes. Also, I knew that I wanted to be surrounded by peace, not the chaos of crowds or cityscapes.”

Cissna pursued this goal. In Portland, she discovered plein air painting with a supportive community of like-minded artists.

“They invited me along on their outings,” she said. “We shared ideas. It was inspiring to see how different artists interpreted the same scene in unique ways.”

Cissna’s nature scenes are expressive and, for her, there’s importance in creating art that conveys a sense of serenity.

“I believe we all need more calm in our lives,” she said. “It’s about balance and harmony. When you’re painting on location, you’re not just replicating a view—you’re recording a memory. You’re creating an artwork that holds not only the visual but the emotional mood of that exact place and time. It’s about creating a connection to the vastness and peace of nature.”

“Plein air is kind of like camping,” she laughed. “You have to pack up everything you’ll need and haul it to the site. It can be a real expedition.”

When she relocated to Madras, Cissna brought her love of plein air painting to the high desert.

“The climate here is much harsher than in the Willamette Valley,” she admits. “Painting outside has more challenges—you’re either hot, cold, or battling the wind. I take a lot of photos and make sketches outside, but I often finish paintings in the studio.”

She teaches group classes at the Studio on 5th in Madras, focusing on acrylic painting, which she describes as an approachable and versatile medium for beginners.

“Unlike oil, acrylic doesn’t have strong fumes, which makes it ideal for shared spaces and quick learning.” Still, she admits to prefer working in oils.

“They just have a richness acrylic can’t replicate,” she said. Recently, though, she has been revisiting watercolors.

Cissna recalled an early critique from a gallery owner who advised her to find a distinct style before she would be ready to present her paintings. The comment kept Stephanie from sharing her work professionally for many years.

“I took it so hard back then,” she admits.

A breakthrough moment for Stephanie occurred while participating in one of her first plein air art shows in Portland, where she sold two paintings — a surprise that boosted her fledgling confidence.

“A young man purchased one of my first landscape paintings, saying he was giving it to his wife for their anniversary because the scene reminded him of a place they loved to visit together. At that moment I realized my art doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful and special to someone. Now I say to my students: ‘Explore and enjoy painting, and share with others! Someone else will find something meaningful in your vision.’”