We absolutely are in awe of all our Featured Artists Friday artists, and this one is no exception: Ireland-based Stacey Fox is known across social media for her very unique and distinctive drawing. We talk about creativity, drag, and future goals!
Dragadventures: Who are you? How would your friends describe you?
Stacey: My name is Stacey Fox, I’m a 25-year-old Queer illustrator from Ireland. I guess the main thing I would hope they’d describe me as is kind. They’d definitely say I’m a perfectionist, probably shy too but I’m for sure the person you want to go to if you need something creative done fast.
DA: What got you into creating art and what’s your favourite part about it?
S: I got into art at 17 when I went to school to study fashion design, we had both an illustration and Art class, they were my first real introduction to Art. It wasn’t until I was 21 though that I started to expand upon my very basic skills. I love being able to express myself in a way that I couldn’t with words.
DA: How would you describe your art style?
S: I’d guess I’d describe my art style as an illustrative cross between expressionism and pop art. My style isn’t always understood but it’s something that comes naturally to me and makes sense in the way that I personally see the world.
DA: What kind of medium do you prefer to work with and what’s the most fun part when doing a new piece?
S: I love working digitally because of the freedom it gives me. I like to finish an illustration and draw on top of it or to cut things up and move them around, It’s a lot more fun when I know that I can undo things and start again which isn’t as easy when working with traditional mediums.
DA: Has there been a starstruck moment when Queens reacted to your art?
S: I tend to stay pretty level-headed for the most part when queens interact with me online about my art. In September, however, I met Sasha Velour and Milk and had my first real star struck moment. Their reaction towards me was something I had never even imagined. I had two people who have greatly inspired me both as a person and as an artist standing in front of me talking about me and my art in a way that made me completely lost for words. It was definitely a surreal experience.
DA: Where and how do you find your inspirations to draw a certain queen and do you have some favorite artwork you’ve ever done?
S: A lot of what drives me to want to certain queens is unique looks, lots of detail whether it’s in garments or makeup, fun colour combinations or a performance that inspires me. I’m probably most proud of the 3 illustration set I did of Sasha, Milk, and Shea. I know everyone has a different favourite that I’ve done but those 3 had a lot of time put into them and I was really happy with the end result.
DA: (How) has drag impacted your art and creativity? Would you say drag has changed your life?
S: Getting into drag has definitely pushed me to be more confident in experimenting with my style, I found a lot more comfortable in the things I do that other people might not understand. Drag has changed my life, I’m more comfortable being a Queer artist, being surrounded by other queer artists who I get to call my friends is an experience I can’t even explain. I’ve leaned into the weird and found my family.
DA: What is the drag scene in your area like? Can you recommend some fierce local queens to us?
S: My local drag scene is 3 hours away from where I live so I can’t pretend I’m really active in the community but two of my favourite Irish queens are Dia Buit (@missdiabuit) and Mars (@mrmsmars).
DA: Who are your favorite queens (in general/to draw) and why?
S: My favourite queens list could go on forever but I’ll try to keep it short.
I love Sasha Velour, Milk, Shea and Aja, a lot has to do with me just enjoying what they do and having a huge appreciation for their art.
As for “non-Rugirls”, Gidget Von Addams and Discord Addams have a huge place in my heart and I could draw them every day. They were the first queens I did merch designs for and have always been hugely supportive of me & my work, plus the looks they constantly pull are always incredible. I also really love Imp Kid, Miss Malice, siichele, Neon Calypso, matryx, Miss Toto, Venus Envy, Gilda Wabbit.
DA: What are your plans/goals for the future? What would be your dreams to achieve with your art?
S: My plan for the future is just to be able to make a sustainable income doing what I love. If I could achieve that I think I could call that a success. I have a lot of dreams, some more ambitious than other but I’d love to work in collaboration with more queer artists. I have a very ambitious goal of wanting to do live illustration at a show like Nightgowns. A lot has happened for me in 2018 that I never could have predicted so who knows what could happen in the future.
Be sure to follow Stacey’s fantastic art on her following social media:
