1975- Born in Houston, Texas as Stephanie Weaver.

1985- Began private oil painting lessons in McAllen Texas under traditional oil painter, Lynn Byers.

1988- First solo exhibit at the McAllen public library at age 13.

1990-Studied printmaking at The McNay Art Museum through San Antonio Art Institute and was influenced by the work of Claes Oldenburg, Rodin and Georgia O’Keefe.

1992-Studied charcoal life drawing in the summer of /92 in the Texas Hill Country at Junction curated by Texas Tech University.

1993- Golden Key and Silver Key Awards from Regional in Texas.

1993-Began treatment for hallucinations, depression and anxiety.

1993- Texas Tech University Fine Arts School, majoring in oil Painting and studied under: Donald Durland, Bill Basil Bagley, Philip Dingus, and Kenneth Dixon. Created a major body of figurative work based on severely disabled uncle Matthew Lind. 4.0 gpa and Deans list award winner.

1995-Transferred to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the summer of ’95.  Studying under, Gaylen Gerber, Laura Owens, Ray Yoshida, and Michelle Grabner.  Ostracized for her historical and representational style, she clung to her closest friend Stephanie Campos of Peru.

1996- suicide attempt, hallucinations ticked up in ’96.

1996-1997- Created large body of work based on my mother’s experience battling breast cancer.  Saw Gerhardt Richter’s work daily at the Art Institute of Chicago.

1996-Married Andrew Rogers Swartz.

1996-Duo Exhibit: Together, with Stephanie Campos, we won and exhibited their work in SAIC student gallery in Picture Painting. 

1997- Graduated SAIC with a GPA of 4.o.

1998-Summer internship with Photography Director Anne W. Tucker at the Museum of Fine arts in Houston Texas.

1998-2001- Worked painting still life’s and selling to private collectors in Chicago Illinois through the Merchandise Mart. 

2000-Illustrated Children’s book for private Collector.

2001-Backpacked throughout western Europe creating Cathedral Collection and was heavily influenced by the Prado’s Velasquez and Goya and The Picasso Museum.  Creating a collection of disfigured portraiture in pencil: Tragic Beauty. 

2001-Volunteered at the Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago working in Art therapy with grade school patients.

2002-Moved to Houston Texas and made the cover of 002 Magazine featuring emerging artists with my eight foot Painting alighted dove.

2002-Established a studio at Mother Dog Studios in downtown. Houston Texas, exhibiting annually in the Houston Art Crawl.

2002-Secret Wars Exhibit a group show depicting work regarding the Gulf War in Iraq.  Displayed 6 ink on paper dental records and identifying finger prints.

2002-Texas Rangers exhibit in Washington DC’s Contemporary Art Museum.  Collective show of Houston based artists whose focus was on war imagery.  Exhibited a 7’ x 7’ oil on canvas of a beach with landmines from the collection of grayscale Gulf War imagery, as well as Funeral Floral arrangements Series.

2002-Month long trip to Japan, returning to create two bodies of work: Rock Series, Life and Death.  Heavily influenced by Hokusai prints and minimalism.

2002-2006-Mother Dog Studios and Annual Art Crawl exhibits.  Sold work and commissioned work to Houston and Los Angeles collectors.  Creating the Fluidity Series on ¾ inch plywood and subsequently destroyed entire series as they were poorly received.

2003-Visited San Francisco and saw the Gerhardt Richter retrospective.

2004-Birth of first child

2006-Birth of second Child. Postpartum depression kicks in leading to a drought of painting for 3 years leaving mother Dog Studios.  In the absence of painting and full blown major depressive disorder I consumed EE Cummings poetry and Russian Literature: Anna Karenina, Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment.

2011-With treatment from antidepressants, I began painting in my detached garage and created an enormous series of work:  Afloat with a nautical theme.  Studying Shackleton’s shipwreck biography, I utilized Ship motifs and oceans-capes. Selling them to a collector in New Jersey, including Alighted Dove.

2007-2016-Painting sporadically, I created: Environmental series called Icebergs, Rainforest Fires and Abstract Numbered “Richter-esque” process squeegee paintings for commissions out of Houston, Texas. Painted: Uvalde Mass Shooting Memorabilia.

2016-Bipolar 1 Diagnosis. Major Depressive Disorder sets in.

2020-First Manic Episode and hospitalization. Sent to A Mission For Michael for three months in California.  Returned to an unwelcome home and became a Special Education substitute Teacher in McAllen Texas for three years.

2024-Created 9’ x 6’ commissioned ocean-scape for Houston collector as well as 7’ x 5’ Cadmium Orange Fire work.

2024-Second manic episode and hospitalization.  Sent to Edwards, Colorado to All Points North for 30 days.  Divorce ensued and met Boise native, Thorpe P. Orton.

2025-Nine month Major depression sets in. Moved to Raymondville, Texas to live with mother and father while consumed with suicidal ideations.  Estrangement from children lasted 1.5 years.  Created one painting: Chaps, private collection.

2025-Married Thorpe P. Orton and moved to Boise, Idaho in December.  Lost entire collection of the Breast Cancer Series to divorce from Andrew Swartz, valued at over $56,000 as well as many large scale oil paintings valuing at over $29,200.

2026-Opened the Yamada studio in Boise, Idaho.  Began creating series Lunar Existential Existence. A 17 piece body of figurative work in two months, related to mother’s Parkinson’s decline, strokes, and subsequent death February 22nd.