Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2017 | Page 274

Stacey Byer - Illustrator and Creative Consultant, GRENADA

Stacey grew up on the beautiful island of
Grenada. At a very young age she knew
she wanted to paint. Her mother recalls the
day Stacey, as a young child, observed her
father painting a wall and declared, since then, that
she wanted to paint. And, she did! Stacey attended
Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida, training
as a children’s book illustrator and she now currently
works as a creative consultant in Grenada.
Her heritage is that of typical Caribbean families,
a mixture of African, Asian and European heritage,
with lots of aunties, uncles and cousins. She had a
close relationship with both of her grandmothers,
spending a lot of time with them during her
childhood. Stacey’s mother always encouraged her
to be creative and her grandmother’s stories about
Grenadian folklore helped feed her imagination.
Growing up on a Caribbean island has had a great
influence on her work.
“I spent a lot of time in gardens, climbing trees, as well
as running on the beach and playing in waterfalls. So
I think all these experiences, stitched together, helped
make me an artist”, Stacey said.