Born in Jamaica, NY in 1953, Stacey Torres is an African American folk artist and writer living in New Castle, IN. Her primary focus are unique women in natural settings. She paints with an abundance of brilliant color using different media, including watercolor, oil pastels, and acrylics, inspired by her Caribbean heritage.

As a self-taught artist, Ms. Torres’ love of painting began at a very early age. In the summer of 2014, she began to create again after a 40 year hiatus. Spending hours with her mother, who was in her final stages of Alzheimer’s, Stacey began to paint her thoughts and emotions, with images to help her mother remember some things. Her artwork became therapy for her and comfort to her mother.

“When the word, “artist” began to appear behind my name, I embraced my lost gift, and paint life as I see it. Art is just an exercise in emotional expression — a way of holding onto things from the past — documenting visions, impressions and dreams. I could write a journal or blog, however, my visions needed to be seen and felt … At times, I feel messages from beyond, like small glimpses of my past as ancestral folktales emerge with splashes of color on canvas. These primitive images of pleasingly imperfect subjects are bits of me; things I’m compelled to recapture. I suppose I’m guilty of living through my art by proxy.” Stacey Torres

Exhibits & Awards: Recipient of Indiana Lt. Governor & State Treasurer Hoosier Women Artists 2016; Richmond Art Museum’s Holiday Art Mart; Whitewater Valley Arts Association Regional Exhibit 2015 (Advanced Merit Award), and 2016; Art Association of Henry County’s 50^th Annual Fall Show; Flava Fresh 12 (Annual Juried Multi-Art Exhibition Presentation Series of Contemporary Art in Indianapolis, IN); Hoosier Women In Art 2016 (Indy Parks Dept.); Twitter Art Show NYC 2016; Will Vawter Art Show, Hancock Art Association 2016; Naturally Inspired Paint-Out, Indianapolis Zoo 2016; Inspired by Dreams Exhibit 2015, Indiana Interchurch Center; and most notably, her art was featured on CBS TV’s Criminal Minds (Season 10).