Rising Stars: Meet Stacey Stewartson

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

Hi Stacey; please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since 2016, I have been creating jewelry from salvaged or scrap leather and I have come to love this material’s unique details and variations. The colors, textures, and smells are a joy to work with and have recently inspired me to create two-dimensional artwork. When creating artwork, I enjoy exploring how different details within leather can appear like light and shadow in a sculpture or even the texture of painted brush strokes. My work in both areas involves experimentation along with trial and error.

Let’s dig deeper into the story – has it been an easy path, and if not, what challenges have you overcome?
Running a small business feels like an ongoing leap of faith. Some things that I will call challenges instead of struggles are trusting my gut, letting go of the desire for perfection, and accepting failure. Even though they are not fun to experience, failures have become wonderful learning opportunities for me.

We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
My 2D artwork involves an always-evolving exploration of color, texture, and pattern using small leather pieces to create abstract, mosaic-like compositions. I love color and find joy in arranging it in creative ways. I am inspired by the use of color in abstract art and patterns in traditional and contemporary quilt making. My work explores composition creation and the arrangement of color using color theory, self-prescribed rules, and intuition.

I also work as a jewelry artisan. I am the owner and designer of a handcrafted jewelry brand named Maebel. Along with leather, I use brass, acrylic, resin, and semi-precious stones in my jewelry pieces. I refer to the leather I use in both practices as salvaged leather. Salvaged leather is any leather that is leftover from another project, damaged or no longer useful to the original owner. This means I collect and create everything from upholstery samples to bookbinding and purse-making scraps to thrifted leather jackets.

What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
I just finished organizing my summer market and festival schedule for my jewelry work. Artist and maker events are one of the most exciting parts of running a creative business. It is a fantastic way to observe reactions to my work in real-time. I’m looking forward to returning to my favorite events like the Midsummer Festival of the Arts in Sheboygan, WI, and visiting some new places this year, such as Stone Arch Bridge Festival in Minneapolis, MN. As far as my 2D work goes, I plan to continue creating as much as possible and look for exhibition opportunities wherever I can!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.staceystewartson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maebeljewelry https://www.instagram.com/staceystewartson.artist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maebeljewelry
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MaebelJewelry 

Image Credits
Jewelry: My Brand Photographer