Dawn Stacey

 I originally studied Textile Design and later graduated with an MA in Illustration from Brighton University and have painted professionally for over 25 years; exhibiting in  Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire, and London with galleries such as Wills Art Warehouse, White Space Art, Josie Eastwood Fine Art, New Ashgate Gallery and various Affordable Art Fairs. My work has been published as greetings cards and prints for John Lewis. Collections of paintings have been bought by the Brighton Hospital Trust and St Wilfrid’s Hospice and I regularly donate work to Chestnut Tree House charity auctions.
 
 I have lived in Lewes in East Sussex for over twenty years and paint full time in my studio from home.  There is a rich and diverse population of wildlife in this area including the Railway Lands, which is a local nature reserve where I walk my dogs everyday. The reserve includes mallards, herons, moorhens, swans and pond life within its landscape. Reflections on the water, mist, frozen leaves, golden light or cracked ice may conjure up ideas for a painting while I'm out walking absorbing the atmosphere and surroundings. 
 
 I have a love of tapestry, aged worn walls and decorative frescoes which are evocative of my paintings that include layers of acrylic paint. Emerging textured or decorative surfaces  incorporate detailed imagery from nature of perhaps birds, flowers, butterflies or insects. The final piece is intended to conjure up a vision of a mysterious, dreamlike landscape by expressing an essence of a place.