Rising Stars: Meet Stacey Torres

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Torres.

Hi Stacey, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I’m originally from Jamaica, NY, and my life has always been artistically motivated. My heritage is the Caribbean, which inspires most of my work, primarily female portraits and lush garden landscapes that I paint with an abundance of brilliant, unlikely colors in watercolor, oil pastels, acrylics, and mixed media. 

I’m a self-taught artist, and my love of art began in early childhood. While I longed to go to art school after I graduated from high school in 1971, my reality was a hindrance to me. Back then, we didn’t have the resources artists have today, and my choices were minimal – I could be an unknown fashion illustrator for a newspaper or pick a corner downtown to set up my artwork and potentially starve. So, I gave up my dream and joined the masses in corporate America. 

But, in the summer of 2014, I began to paint after a 45-year hiatus when my mother was dying from Alzheimer’s. This became therapy for both of us because she actually remembered my sense of creativity. At that time, I was a highly prolific artist in order to stay busy and keep my mind off of my grief. Shortly after my mom’s passing, I was approached by a television network about licensing my art for the TV show Criminal Minds (Season 10), as well as the Starz Network. And so, my journey began. 

It’s still hard for me to see the word “artist” after my name in print, but I suppose it’s my new normal. Now, I am 70, and I pursue my growth daily. Since 2015, my art has been exhibited throughout the United States and is curated in private collections globally. In 2016, I was a recipient of the Indiana Lt. Governor’s Hoosier Women Artists Award, and my painting, “Nana Gramps & Me,” hung in the Indiana State House for a year. I remain exceedingly humbled by this honor. 

These days, since moving to Ohio, I am embracing the Cincinnati art scene and community, indulging in urban sketching and my usual portraits and fantasy garden settings. Most recently, I was invited by Cincinnati Parks to paint the planets at a Solar Eclipse watch party just yesterday. I don’t think of being a contemporary Folk/Fauvism artist at this stage in my life as “something to do” or a hobby. It’s a release of my passion withheld for decades. It’s what I do and who I am. My art and I remain relevant. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For me, it’s been a revelation of sorts. My desire is to get my art where it needs to be is a struggle. Being a Folk and Fauvist Artist is a matter of teaching and presenting my work to new people; it’s not for everyone – or they just don’t understand it or see the depth of emotion and history in the work. And I’m not good at educating people on what I do. I simply want to paint. The galleries, etc., that usually appreciate this type of work, particularly the folk art, are in other parts of the country. I’m not always sure how or if I should approach them. Standing there waiting to be found is not practical – for anyone. I’m learning I need to attract a broader tribe of strangers, rather than exhaust my friends and family to buy and/or appreciate my art. But, if my tribe never comes, the beauty is not lost upon me, and I’m grateful to have my paintings around me now. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So, as stated, I am a painter that works in the folk genre, as well as fauvism. These two styles just seem to come through my work regardless of what I start out painting; it’s a niche I’m comfortable being in. I tend to do a lot of portraits, particularly of women. These images come to me from my past – ancestors, old friends, acquaintances, and memories. They all tell different stories about my life growing up in my West Indian grandparents’ home, their friends and relatives, and other people I grew up with in NYC who had similar backgrounds. The culture is quite unique, and so I try to capture as much as I can remember in each of my paintings, whether it’s a face, an eye, or the garden setting I might place them in. Each one is a part of me — not necessarily a self-portrait, but parts of my autobiography. 

The one painting I will always consider my heartbeat is titled “Nana Gramps & Me.” It depicts myself with my grandparents in the backyard of our Queens, NY, home sometime in the 1950s. It’s the way I remember it, the way I still feel it, savoring the fruits and vegetables Nana grew, Gramps’ cherry tobacco pipe, and the lush, thick-skinned grapes that grew across the arbor on our garage. The painting took me back to a time and place dear to me that I can never revisit. In 2016, the Indiana Lt. Governor selected it to hang in his office for a year after I was granted – along with other wonderful female artists – the Hoosier Women Artists Award. The painting is now in a private collection. 

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I own several books on Impressionism, Fauvism, and Caribbean history and culture. YouTube is a great source of education, ideas, tutorials and keeping up with all things related to art making. One of my favorite resources, however, is a group I belong to in Cincinnati called Creative Juice, made up of creatives of all types. We meet regularly to discuss and share our work and upcoming art events and to glean information and feedback from each other with respect to our art. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://staceytorrescreations.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceytorresfolkartist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyTorresART
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5wzmiOAaS-6opoRnktw33g