How Craft Lake City’s Scholarship Helped One Artist Reclaim Her Craft

What if the biggest obstacle to becoming an artist wasn’t talent, but money? For Steph Alpizar, a local painter and crochet artist, financial limitations dictated everything from the materials she used to the way she shared her work. But a scholarship from Craft Lake City helped her overcome financial roadblocks and reconnect with her purpose — creating art that connects with others.

Alpizar, now based in Utah, grew up all over the country in a military family. To her parents, who were immigrants from Costa Rica and Colombia, earning a college degree was paramount to their children’s success. Alpizar completed her degree in psychology at the University of Oregon, but like many first-generation students, she found herself saddled with debt. “I have lots of student loans because I didn’t know what I was doing with college or how to apply for financial aid,” she says.

While in college, an introductory art course sparked her interest. She explored different painting and sketching techniques, but while her passion for art grew, financial constraints weighed on her. She experimented with different paints, finding that acrylics dried too fast and watercolors too slow. The result was wasted materials, a frustrating reality for a financially strained college student. 

It wasn’t until after college that Alpizar found her match: gouache. A forgiving material with a lower price tag and reasonable drying time, gouache paint struck the perfect balance. An avid hiker and skier, she began painting landscapes inspired by photos she took on outdoor adventures around Utah. 

Alpizar also took up crochet, a hobby that connected her to her late great-grandmother, a talented crocheter. Even as her artistic skills progressed, she faced mixed reactions from her family. When she proudly shared a new painting, crochet piece or commission sale, the first question wasn’t about her art — it was “how much will it sell for?” 

“That’s the purpose of why I put my art out there, for someone to connect with it.”

Beyond financial and familial barriers, a lack of business knowledge made it harder for Alpizar to get her art out there. She reached out to local artists for advice over social media, but was often met with gatekeeping or no response at all. Then, one day, she got an unexpected Instagram message.

Craft Lake City had reached out to Alpizar, inviting her to apply to their Scholarship & Mentor program. Aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ and minority artists, the program offered waived booth fees for their artisan markets, small business advice and a personal mentor. To Alpizar, “it sounded too good to be true.” 

She applied to the scholarship program and was accepted. Through the program, she gained access to a welcoming community eager to share knowledge with budding artists. She learned how to run a successful booth, which art markets had the most foot traffic, and the best payment methods for vendors. She also gained confidence, reinforcing her identity as an artist.

A few months after completing the scholarship, Craft Lake City’s Artisan and Programs Manager Tiana Young reached out to Alpizar with an opportunity: teaching a gouache class for PBS Utah. She had never instructed an art class before, but despite her nerves, she accepted. She gathered supplies and lesson materials and led participants as they painted, using one of her landscape photographs as a reference. “I love talking about [gouache],” she says. “It’s affordable and accessible to people … That’s the reason I got into it.” The experience validated Alpizar’s skills as an artist and a community leader, sparking a desire to connect with others over her love of art. 

While running her booth at Craft Lake City’s annual DIY Festival this summer, a visitor stopped to admire her painting of Lake Blanche. As they chatted with Alpizar and took in the painting, they became emotional. Alpizar thought about that moment the rest of the day. For her, the memory represents her true motivation as an artist — to connect with people. “That’s the purpose of why I put my art out there, for someone to connect with it. Whether I make money from it, I don’t really care. It’s nice, but that’s not my main objective,” she says.

“Art has been a safe place for me where I really took my time.”

In the future, Alpizar hopes to keep creating on her own terms while fostering an inclusive and supportive community for artists of all levels. “Art has been a safe place for me where I really took my time,” she says. She hopes opening up that safe place to others will help insulate them from the social and financial pressures that once dictated her art and focus on what’s at the heart of their creativity — joy and connection. 

Alpizar dreams of a plein air painting community in Salt Lake, where amateur artists can paint outdoors in a non-judgemental environment. “We want to bridge the gap between people who are gatekeeping and people who are just making art for fun but want to be a part of a community,” she says. Alpizar hopes this will inspire artists of all backgrounds to create freely, connect meaningfully and share their work without fear or limitation — just as her scholarship experience empowered her to do. Local artists interested in applying to Craft Lake City’s Scholarship & Mentor Program have until April 2 to submit an application online. Interested readers can view Alpizar’s work on her Instagram page @trekkingturtlestudio. 

Read more features on local artists:
“Where Art and Community Meet”: The Curatorial Ethos of Michelle Pace
801 Salon: Accessible Art Spaces Born From Creative Limitations