She’s guided by instinct. Choosing her subjects based on a primal urge to explore humanity, and find meaning and comfort in her surroundings. Music helps her surrender to the creative process, guiding not only her hand, but her whole self–to tap into the heart of her subject. To date, she’s experimented with realism and expression. First, finding inspiration in the stories of neurodiverse artists such as Vincent Fantauzzo. His portraits are refreshingly raw and honest. And like Vincent, she’s drawn to the hidden stories behind the faces she paints.
She finds charcoal honest. Reducing subjects to shadows and light, allowing her to use contrast meaningfully. It forces her to focus on facial gestures and lines to share the character of the person she’s capturing. While with pastels, she finds freedom in a vibrant colour pallet, where she can work symbolically to highlight our inner duplicity and struggles.
Now, influenced by the bold sensuality of artists like Francoise Nielly, her newest work combines abstraction and loose realism. She’s experimenting with mediums. Adding oils into her charcoal work and pastels to create expressive portraits and landscapes. Featuring cool, dark tones and embellishment of warm, natural light, her landscapes are moody, thoughtful, and uplifting. While her portraits are bold and empowering. Allowing viewers to be themselves—to feel, to connect, to find hope and to trust their own instincts.
Many of Stacey’s work are in private collections around Australia.
