Life & Work with Stacy Smith of Winston-Salem, NC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Smith.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The visual art scene is what the musician in me would call a new gig. Prior to being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in January of 2019, I was a music teacher and a member of the Winston Salem Symphony. My brand of MS caused issues with my cognition that had some far reaching effects. While I remained in the symphony for a while longer, I had to leave my teaching career behind. I also shied away from reading after my diagnosis because it became difficult to keep track of plots and characters; very bad news for a ravenous Stephen King fan.

My mom suggested that I try replacing reading with painting. I didn’t love it at first, but I could smear paint around on paper without having to comprehend it, remember it or keep track of it in any way. It was therapeutic, enjoyable and, after time, my skill increased. Within two years, I was selling original artwork and prints online and at local markets. In 2021, a jury selected my work for the AAWS Artist Spotlight Exhibition at the Milton Rhodes Art Center in Winston Salem.

Since then, I have started working with polymer clay to make fantastical, whimsical jewelry and curios. I love incorporating natural motifs into my work, and I enjoy embellishing thrift store finds with genuine stones and crystals to transform them.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The most difficult thing about creating art is feeling as if what I make isn’t “really” art. Sometimes I feel that real artists have been drawing or painting their entire lives. It can be hard to accept that people find value and beauty in my work, so I have to be gentle with myself in that regard.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My art runs the gamut between nature and fantasy. I often paint hyper-realistic nature scenes, particularly seascapes and birds, that are often mistaken for photographs. Sometimes, I trade a lens of reality for one of wonderment. So, obviously, the seascape needs an impossibly bright galaxy of stars, perhaps with an ancient, twisted tree suspended over it like a bridge! And, of course, the raven must have dragon scales. I bring this same approach to my clay work by creating three dimensional scenes, brimming with natural elements like leaves, wood, ferns, roots and mushrooms with everything sculpted and detailed by hand. I use this motif on everything from pendants to thrifted glassware and make it extra magical by embedding genuine stones and crystals.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I am not from Raleigh, but my husband and I often go there for performances – primarily the Carolina Ballet and the North Carolina Symphony. We did recently go hear one of our favorite bands at a Raleigh venue we had never been to before – Chapel of Bones. It is a very cool coffeehouse and bar with a goth vibe, and we will definitely be going back there.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spacepeachstudio
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/spacepeachstudio