Creative Insomniacs – Stacey Mackenzie

Stacey MacKenzie is a former sign language interpreter turned visual artist. She primarily paints animals and the beautiful nature that surrounds her artist retreat in Elgin, Ontario. Her moto is “Playing toward peace of mind.” 

When I have created a piece, and I am happy with it, or I have made someone else happy by the work, I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. That soothes me.”

Méline : What started you on your visual arts journey?  

Stacey: I have always been into painting and drawing and making stuff. In high school, I became deeply involved with art and drama. Later, straight out of graduation, I started to study to become a Sign Language Interpreter, and that took all of my time and concentration. As that craft became my career, I shelved my interest for creating art. At one point though, I did take a year off of work and went to Art School. It was incredible but my career called me back. Many more years later, I retired, and my partner and I moved to the country. With the time and the space to explore, I began to draw, and paint and make again. 

M: You primarily paint animals and nature. What it is about them that attracts you?  

S: I do paint a lot of animal portraits! Mostly, I get asked by family and friends to create a painting of their beloved pets. I find that it is a thrill to me when I can capture the essence of a pet. When their humans are overjoyed to see their animals on canvas, I really love that. 

As far as nature studies, I am still working on that. It has been a revelation to me, moving from the city, to notice the complexities of nature. Painting the grandness of a landscape continues to be a challenge, but inspiring nonetheless. 

M: What made you chose paint as your primary medium? You also sculpt. What’s that like? 

S: I have always loved the feeling of painting. Acrylic especially. The thickness of the paint and the texture of brushstrokes. I have done a couple of sculptures… it is new. It is something I have started to play with just recently. It is very interesting, being able to control the medium and see a creation from all sides. 

M: Who are your biggest influences?  

S: My Mom Diane Mackenzie is a very talented artist, and she, like me, started to paint in her 50″s. I also love Mary Pratt‘s work. Her light is astonishing. Growing up, I was strongly influenced by David Hockney and Keith Haring.

M: What do you listen to when you paint? Who are your favorite musicians?  

S: Oh, maybe because I have always been so visual, I don’t listen to music much at all. I do listen to audiobooks, and podcasts. Levare Burton Reads, David Sedaris, Flash Forward, The Moth for example. But, even those don’t go on until I have a very strong sense of where my project is heading. Truly, I can lose hours of time just focused on what I am making.

M: What’s your process like? Do you paint for hours on end or in spurts? 

S: Ha! See above. I do like to disappear for hours on end. Just like any craft, I believe we can dissolve into a flow when we get highly focused on something. When I interpret, I feel this same flow. It is a meditation. 

M: Do you have any formal visual arts training or are you self-taught?  

S: My high school was known for its strong emphasis on the arts, so I started there. Then I did take a year of fulltime study about 20 years ago. It was a fine arts program in Toronto and I had a wonderful time there. It was good for me to take a pause from my career and just do something for the pure joy of it. 

M: You, like many women, go through periods of intense insomnia.  What do you attribute your sleeplessness to?  

S: Menopause! Racing thoughts, bodily discomfort, worry, and self-doubt. Lying there, waiting to go back to sleep is just so lonely. So, I get up and make a glass of warm milk. I read for a while. Sometimes for a couple of hours. Then return to bed. That usually does the trick. If it doesn’t, well at least there are sunrises! 

M: How has painting helped alleviate your levels of anxiety and stress?  

S: When I have created a piece, and I am happy with it, or I have made someone else happy by the work, I feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. That soothes me.

M: How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your work?  

S: At first, it forced me into my studio more. I played with some different mediums, and I felt fine taking hours out of each day to just make stuff. Now, as we drag on and the world seems to still be struggling with how to beat this virus, I find I have slowed down, and I am not so productive. Winter is here now, so I have been back in my studio. I’m hoping to get out of this recent slump. I am taken by the art spirit for periods of time and then she leaves. It has always been that way. I am not worried. 

M: What’s next? 

S: Next? I am still learning. I never really know what’s next, and that’s okay. 

Check out more of Stacey’s work and follow her on: 

Instagram: @she_paints_today 

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