A very belated post about me, Stacey!

Hello, and welcome to my color-space!

This blog post serves to tell you a bit more about myself.

My name is Stacey. I was born in Papakura, Auckland in New Zealand. I live in the North Island. Currently Wellsford, but I will be moving to Whangarei from August -ish.

I am 37 years old. I married my husband (Joe) in 2004, who I refer to as Mr Stakiwi. My son, Thomas, is 8 years old. And of course, my cat, Mundai (pronounced Monday Haha!)

I have a Bachelor of Social Science, with a double major in Psychology and Sociology, and Graduate Diploma in Primary Teaching. I primarily taught Year 3/4 children but I have also worked in a Kindergarten setting as well.

My son was born 6 weeks premature because I developed Pre-Eclampsia. He developed a brain bleed due to a stroke while in utero. Likely when my organs started to shut down. As a result, he remained in hospital for nearly 2 months. He has Cerebral Palsy (wheelchair based), Dystonia, CVI (vision impaired), autistic traits, sensory processing difficulties, partial Gastrostomy fed, Epilepsy, Global Delays, non verbal and skin and food sensitivities.

Yes, this is a lot to deal with but you should know that Thomas is a happy, loving and humorous young man. For us, as parents, this is all we know and we are forever grateful to have Thomas in our lives. He enriches our lives in a way we would never have known otherwise. For this, I always believe that life is to be enjoyed. so go and eat that donut or have extra coffee!

Thomas is also the reason why I did not return to work but also the reason I looked within the home environment to seek comfort and stimulation. When Thomas began Kindergarten, I started painting with acrylics and then watercolors because this was a lovely and quiet activity I could do from home near Thomas. I started seeking out better quality watercolor options, including shimmers. I was not able to find these within New Zealand and bought from a hand-maker from overseas.

In the time my custom order was being made, I researched and experimented with shimmer watercolors and this was where my passion for making watercolor paint began. This was back in 2018. Thomas also started school later that year and I had even more time to disappear down the watercolor making black hole. I jumped into making neon watercolor paint and I ended up with too much paint! As a result, I listed them on Etsy.

I sold my first set about a couple weeks later and started to share my process more on Instagram and grow there. I think I had a small following of 200 or less but I spent my time (A lot!) networking with artists and making friends. Because I lived in a small town (1800 people or less) this was a wonderful online opportunity to connect with likeminded people.

To this day, I believe that the art community on Instagram is a really valuable place to connect with others.

Fast forward to today, July 2022. I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of different pigments. I've made over 300 different colors and growing. I launched a watercolor paint making course via Class 101 and it has been such a joy to see others begin their watercolor making journey equipped with the knowledge and tools for success!

I have worked with some pretty incredible pigments such as gemstones and experimenting and creating special granulating watercolor paints. I also enjoy collecting rarer or foraged pigments, antique pigments and palettes. My current project is to repurpose antique palettes. This is such a fun experience. Another area of interest I am currently and quietly working on is foraging and processing my own earth pigments. This is something that takes time and patience.

Over the last year or so, another area I have been working on is painting for myself more. I think that this has been an area that got neglected while I threw myself into paint making and then found myself struggling to find a balance between the two. I think that I am still working to find this balance but that making small steps forward such as smaller, achievable watercolor painting projects has been a positive outcome.

I want to say to you, the reader, thank you, for stopping by and taking the time to read about me and I hope that you will join me in my journey of life and color. Please feel free to connect with me on Instagram, Tiktok, or via here in the comments section.

If you have any questions, curiosities, let me know.

You can find me here on Instagram.

You can find me here on Tiktok.

I am an open book.

Kiwi love,

Stacey.