Portraits have a way of capturing the sheer essence of a subject—from their way of life, to their outlook, their demeanor, their dreams and desires. And when it comes to local artist Stacey Bautista’s work, putting this emotional resonance on a canvas is not only a goal, but an almost therapeutic way of expressing herself. We chatted with her in downtown Sioux Falls to find out what she hopes to achieve with her work and how it informs how she lives her life.

What got you started on your visual-arts journey?

I’ve loved art since the very beginning. I really got more interested in high school. Near the end of high school, though, I had decided to go into science, ironically. So I went to Augustana (University), starting as a biochemistry major. A year-and-a-half into that, art was still tugging at my heart, so I decided I wanted to switch back to looking into it. I ended up majoring in art, Spanish and business administration with marketing. I just felt compelled to do it, and I’ve loved it ever since.

What style of work are you most inspired to create?

I’ve been evolving. I started off with floral paintings, and I started incorporating more portraits as I learned to do them better. That’s my focus more recently. I’m more attracted to portraits at this point. I like connecting with people in that way. I feel like people are really drawn to that type of painting. I used to not actually paint with a lot of color—way more black, white and brown. Recently I’ve just pushed myself to painting more with color—it’s an evolving process. I think originally when I was painting in neutrals, I was actually more interested in street art, noticing how those colors are prevalent.

What originally piqued your interest about art?

When I was younger it was about having fun, but as I got older, I felt like it was more therapeutic—a great outlet. I think a lot of that has to do with my family—my parents are immigrants, so naturally they carried over their generational trauma. So I kind of just felt it—I could feel their stress, their frustration just getting acclimated to the U.S. So as I tried to navigate two different cultures—my parents are Guatemalan—I felt like I needed some sort of outlet for myself. I felt very introverted, really shy—kind of like an outcast, a little bit. Being an artist, that was really helpful, because I could just be myself. I’ve looked for that therapy through my artwork—I’ve definitely felt healing from it. It’s helped me reach some sort of conclusion in a way—a sort of relief.

What’s your arts family history?

I have an older sister who’s studying art at University of Sioux Falls, a younger sister who is in graphic design at South Dakota State University. My oldest sister Cynthia loves art, but she went into social work, so it’s a little bit different. [Laughter] But we all love being artistic and creative in some way. My parents are very supportive—in high school, they thought I could use a more sustainable career (than art), and I now have a full-time job in finance, but now that they see that I can have a full-time job and still work on what I love, they’re really supportive and encouraging. I couldn’t ask for a better support system.

What type of work do you most appreciate?

I think my favorite artist for years has been Swoon. She’s a street artist who incorporates a lot of portraits in her work. I love the fact that it’s so accessible to everybody. I love artists who incorporate a message or activism in their work and it’s visible to everyone. I’m just in love with the idea in general and would like to do it myself at some point. My professor Scott Parsons really helped me with technique and also actually introduced me to Swoon—it’s helped me with my style and direction. Em Nguyen—I really like her work quite a bit. I like that she incorporates animals and geometric shapes. I’m mesmerized by her work. And Joe Schaeffer—he’s about street art himself, and I wish I could paint like him.

Where did your affinity for plants come from?

Because I started off painting flowers mostly, I’ve always felt connected with that in some way. After I had taken some time, I’ve realized they’re a really great vehicle to convey a symbolic meaning in your work. They’re used to celebrate events and also used for times of mourning, so that’s the reason I incorporate plants into most everything I paint.

What’s next for you?

I feel like I’m constantly just seizing opportunities as they come. I actually have a mural I’m planning on doing at a gym I go to—I’ve never done that before, so that’ll be fun to try. I’m working on commissions, too, lately, which is great. But as long as there are open calls for art, I’ll try to participate as much as I possibly can. I have an art (electrical) box installed downtown—on 10th and Main. My desire is to make art accessible, so that open call was a great opportunity for me. The piece is inspired by the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements. The flowers represent the model’s ethnicity—Korean, Native American and Mexican. I wanted to incorporate that into a public piece that celebrates diversity.

Will to Explore