Wall to Wall Mural Art: Stacey Keating
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
After moving from New York to Sydney, mural artist Stacey Keating found fresh inspiration in Australia’s street art scene, native wildlife and vibrant inner-city communities.
Stacey Keating moved from New York City to Surry Hills 13 years ago; her husband, Shane, had been offered a position in UNSW mathematics department. Stacey was excited about the move, but was unprepared for the way it would affect her career.
For more than 20 years, Stacey has been creating large murals and scenic art for public spaces and private homes — her artworks can be found in major cities around the world. In New York, she had built a very successful business and reputation.
“When I first moved here I got nervous because there was not a lot going on with street art. I thought: ‘oh no, I've moved to the wrong city!’” says Stacey about her initial impression. “But, it's gone gangbusters in the last few years, so I'm so grateful to be here for this little revival or whatever is happening.”
Sydney Embracing Outdoor Art
Sydney certainly has embraced large-scale outdoor art, with murals appearing on the sides of houses, old industrial structures and retention walls — virtually anywhere there’s a blank space.
“I love what everybody is doing. I think there are so many unique different styles going on…we're getting more in Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, like that great one on Foveaux Street [Adam Goodes]…that's a gorgeous mural… I would love to see more of that around Surry Hills and Darlinghurst,” says Stacey, who has already scoped much of Sydney’s street art.
Stacey came to this art form by chance. She’d actually studied illustration at art school but suspected it would be too monotonous as a career choice. As luck would have it, her first job out of college was with a theatre, painting backdrops and scenery.
“It turned my whole world around, because then I started immediately painting big, fell absolutely in love with it, and never did an illustration again. Never did anything small ever again.”
Large-scale art provided Stacey with variety, both in subject and mediums, but she also had to learn techniques on the go. One such skill was translating an image the size of an A4 page into one considerably bigger.
Evolving with modern tech
She began by using the ancient grid system, then moved on to a projector that projected the full-sized image onto the wall. Now she’s even more high-tech.
“The newest thing that I just bought a couple of months ago is a VR headset, and it is kind of life-changing,” Stacey explains. “You just put the image that you're planning to draw in an app beforehand, and it puts it in the headset. You rock up to the wall, and using the app, scale it up as large as you want, and then trace from there.”
Artistic skill is till very much required for the ultimate rendering.
During COVID, when Stacey, like the rest of the planet, was forced indoors, she started focusing on canvases. The works she produced were inspired by Australian flora and fauna.
“We are — my husband, myself, the children — are obsessed with the Australian bush,” says Stacey.
“I’ve always loved birds, but there's nothing like the bird life here. Like, it's out of this world. The colours, the shapes, the sounds. You just can't ignore them, and I love that. And that's such a big part of what my work is about, is being bold and colourful and happy [...] And likewise, with the flowers. I think that so much of the flora here is so utterly unique.”
Stacey painted a series called the “Bushoisie”, suggesting an air of aristocracy around the featured birds, and giving the works titles such as Priscilla in the drawing room, and Benny, in the conservatory.
Stacey exclusively painted canvases from around 2020 to 2024 but has returned to doing murals as well, when the opportunity presents itself. She has an exciting project in the offing, so keep an eye out.
Meanwhile, there’s no hint of homesickness. Stacey, Shane and their two young boys seem to have settled in very nicely.
“We’ve been in the same exact place since the minute we moved here; we just got really lucky with a place that we loved.” She likens Darlinghurst to Brooklyn, but better.
“It's got these big terraces. You're really close to the CBD. You're kind of close to everything and everything is walkable […] we love our neighbourhood. We live on a place that has a locked laneway…we walk out our back door into the laneway, and there is inevitably somebody out there having a glass of wine who welcomes you over, and you sit and have a glass of wine with them. The kids play outside, because, again, it's locked, so it's safe from the rest of the street… everybody knows each other, everybody helps each other out, and it's just adorable.”
Balancing Art & Family
Having two energetic young boys, Stacey loves the proximity of Surry Hills and Kings Cross libraries and the myriad little parks throughout the precinct. And of course, Centennial Park is a short and pleasant bike ride away and perfect for a picnic.
For adult entertainment, Stacey and her husband enjoy the great little speakeasy bars and jazz venues that are nearby. Food favourites include Piano (perfect for a drink before picking up the kids at school across the road); Paripé for Spanish tapas; Ezra Middle Eastern in Potts Point; and The Waratah for great pub fare.
The kids have sophisticated palates and like sushi, so occasionally the family goes to Zushi Japanese. They also like love Betty’s Burgers.
As far as retail shopping goes, Stacey is an op shop fan and feels pretty spoiled for choice with options such as Vinnies, Red Cross, Salvos, and Anglicare just to name a few.
If you’re keen to see Stacey’s art, she has images on her website and the gorgeous Australian bird and wildflower canvases for sale. Stacey is also available for commissions.
“If somebody's got a naked wall, I'm happy to fill it.”
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