With a heartfelt desire to paint coursing through her veins, this artist quit her day job a decade ago and now her work is showcased all over the world.
Stacey comes from an artistic family; both her father and nan were artists. One of her earliest memories was climbing up to the top shelf in the cupboard to get into her father’s oil paint, then crawling back and painting her cot. “I drove my parents wild with new designs on my walls and furniture,” she says.
From an early age, Stacey’s nan encouraged her to explore her love of art. “She trained me in oil paints and water colour from the age of six, and by the time I was a teenager, I was a confident painter,” explains Stacey. But as for many of us, life got in the way of her artistic dreams. After her son was born, Stacey entered a painting of him in an art show. “I wanted to know I could look back and say I tried,” she says. It was accepted and from then on, commissions started trickling in. A year later, she quit her job and became a full-time artist. “I never thought it would be possible, but I think if your heart truly wants something, it will find a way,” she reflects.
Stacey says at first it was a struggle to develop a following. During this early stage of her career, Manyung Gallery saw her work. “They offered me my first group show and our relationship has gone from strength to strength to this day,” she enthuses.
Her art sits fluidly between expressionism and impressionism. Her preferred medium is oil. “I absolutely love working with it as I think it provides a rawness and honesty like no other medium,” she explains.
In homewares and furniture, Stacey loves pieces with soul, or something with a story.
She bought an older home with her husband and instead of tossing out the old, she chose to embrace it. “I kept many of the original fixtures — aged brass and heritage green trimmings which I adore,” she says. “My favourite furniture piece at home is a mid-century chair my husband and I found at The Big Green Shed in Hamilton years ago. We were laughing trying to get it on the roof rack and it brings back happy memories, so it holds a special place in my heart.”
In her work Stacey loves capturing her inspiration and sharing it with others. “Painting fuels something in me I can’t describe and when someone creates a connection to the work, I always find it magical,” she says.
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