Check Out Stacey Malasky’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Malasky.

Hi Stacey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started drawing and making art at a very young age. I wanted to grow up and be an illustrator and draw all the time! I graduated with an associate of fine arts and a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. I have been doing freelance illustration on and off for the past 20 years.

Fifteen years ago, I discovered a love of printmaking. I have learned screen printing, letterpress printing, etching, lithography, and relief printing by working for other artists, learning so much through them, and co-owning and operating a community and commercial screen printing shop for 7 years.

I love to read about printmaking and am endlessly curious about learning and adjusting my processes. I now work full-time as an artist, making and selling my handmade prints, and I also teach screen printing at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No! After seven years of commercial printing and running a community shop, I decided to step down as an owner of my shop to pursue my art business full-time.

About 6 months into that journey, covid hit. I was just beginning to build momentum around my business, and it all came to a halt. I was now home, doing full-time caretaking and helping with virtual school for my then 6-year-old son. My husband was working full time (and an essential worker, so he was working outside of the house) and in his second year of grad school part-time. I had to put my business on pause for a year and a half until my son started in-person school again.

All that momentum I had built was gone, and I had to start from scratch. I also live with rheumatoid arthritis, so I have to be careful of how much I take on and commit to. If I do too much, I am fatigued and in a lot of pain, so finding the balance of being a primary parent, a person living with chronic pain and illness while running a creative business, can feel impossible at times.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I primarily work in serigraphy (screen printing) on paper. I am an illustrator at heart and love drawing. I am my core audience when it comes to subject matter! I love being outdoors, and I love plants, animals, and insects, so most of my work is inspired by the natural world.

I am most well known for using bright colors and for utilizing color overlays in my prints (color overlays are using transparent inks that overlay one another to create a new color). I am most proud of always being curious about the process of printing and figuring out ways to make that process easier, more efficient, and less taxing on my body.

My color usage sets me apart from other makers. I am very intentional about picking, mixing and testing ink, I love using color to give my prints a very specific feel.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
I have learned so many lessons! One of the most important things I have learned is not to struggle with print. If it isn’t working, STOP. Reassess what is going on and start over. It can be really hard to work for hours and hours on a drawing and decide to scrap it because it just isn’t working.

Once I could sift through my work and look at all the work that didn’t make it to final production as excellent practice and learning, I felt like I had grown as an artist and a human. It is also nice to model that practice for my (now 10-year-old) son.

So he can see that failure doesn’t stop us. It makes us question things and think about what we want for ourselves and what we want to put into the world.

Pricing:

• Jack-in-the Pulpit $80
• Tea Towels-$24
• Scarab Beetle- $80
• Zinnias- $50
• Bluebird-$45

Contact Info:

• Website: https://staceymalasky.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceymalasky/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staceymalaskyartist/

Image Credits
Stacey Malasky and Beth Eggert Photography