Artist and calligrapher Steph Ivelisse has become a bright creative force in Austin, blending culture, storytelling, and intention into every piece she creates. A valued partner of Pease Park Conservancy, Steph’s art centers around women, community, and cultural memory. Her collaborations with the Conservancy reflect her approach of creating art with intention.
A photograph of Steph Ivelisse’s Mother
Steph’s artistic style traces back to the women who shaped her life. Growing up in a matriarchal household, she draws inspiration from the “badass women doing really cool things” around her. “My mom was literally just the strongest woman you could ever imagine,” Steph shares. She named her business after her mother, honoring the middle name they share.
Her first collection, The Mujer Collection, celebrated the women who influenced her. Each piece was named after a quality she admired, setting the tone for the artist she would become, one who creates with intention and honors the stories that define us. “I just want people to feel seen,” she says. “Represented, embraced, and connected to love and warmth.”
Steph’s partnership with Pease Park Conservancy began with the Troll installation, where she deepened the engraving on the story plate next to Malin, the Pease Park Troll. Her work has since been seen by thousands of park-goers. She recently transformed leftover wooden planks from the Troll into engraved awards for the Conservancy’s Volunteer Recognition Celebration.
“Everything I do is for a reason. It has a meaning behind it. Intentionality is probably one of my biggest core values,” Steph explains. For her, parks like Pease Park are deeply personal. “I walk outside almost every day,” she says. “I feel my best and most connected to myself when I am reminded that we are all nature, and we are all made of everything.”
She loves seeing Austin residents step away from screens and embrace presence and community. A public green space is a place where anyone can reconnect with themselves and with nature. “I think that it is essential just for humans’ mental health,” Steph adds.
An image of mural progress at the Proper Hotel
Steph is currently working on a mural at the Proper Hotel in downtown Austin. “It is not customer-facing. It is employee-facing, which is even more special to me because it was this eerie green hallway that all of the employees have to walk through,” she says. She felt honored to bring color and life to the space for employees to enjoy.
She is also expanding her team by bringing on a second calligrapher and has her sights set on expanding into Dallas. Her path of growth reflects the same intentionality she puts into her work, thoughtful and rooted in purpose.
Steph’s artistic journey shows how Pease Park inspires and supports local artists. Offering a source of grounding, creativity, and connection, her story is one of women's empowerment, cultural memory, and art made with intention and love. Through partnerships with artists like Steph, Pease Park becomes more than a green space. It becomes a space for creation and creativity of all forms.
If you are interested in learning more about her and her work, I encourage you to visit her website or follow her on Instagram to see her latest projects and creations.
