For those of you who remember Senior Art Director, Stacey Roper, from Rapp days, she recently went global in a Rolling Stones feature about “The Weirdo Art of Pinstriper and Illustrator Stace the Ace”. I first met Stacey creating folding bits of DM paper covered in Westpac doodles around 2010. As you’ll see in the Stones feature, Stacey hasn’t lost her refreshing honesty, her humour, her signature crew cut and keychain jeans. It's pretty cool that Rolling Stone mag did an article on her art but it's even cooler that she was trending at number 1 on their website!
Stacey is a true artist and commercial Art Director whose affiliation with kustom kulture recently inspired the creation of The Ace, a zingy, salted margarita gose from Panhead Custom Ales. As the Rolling Stone feature says, "Filmmaker Cal Thorley gets credit for giving rise to the Ace. Thorley, the brains behind the long-running web series, Hot Rod Revue, profiled Roper’s pinstriping for a previous project. Given Roper’s pre-eminence in the field, Thorley, a regular Panhead collaborator, suggested the beermakers conceive a can in Roper’s honour. " And so they did - Stacey designed and illustrated the label so go out there and gulp a gose!
Stacey is one of the most prolific artists I know. She's an 'Official Rat Fink Artist". She creates her own Tees, pinstripes hot-rods on the weekend (pinstriping is a style of freehand decorative painting that adds to the customisation of automotive bodies and parts), paints saws and just finished off a massive mural for Panhead Brewery. The guys were beyond stoked with Rat Fink & the Lurkers, you gotta see it to believe it - so get yourself down to the Panhead Tasting Room - Upper Hutt and take it all in.
Don’t be fooled by Staceys 50ft killer finks, she has a great commercial eye for brands and sense of detail. We recently collaborated again with Stacey, who returned to her banking roots, getting her to help us do the illustrations in the style of the yummy new Westpac brand. It was part of a digital writing and website content project. Because of Stacey's background in advertising, she gets what you are trying to communicate, gets 'brand guidelines, and comes up with great wee ideas still keeping the charm and humour which is trademark Roper.
Stacey's talents don't stop there. Recently her sister, Jaqueline Anne, dragged her in to do photography for the 2022 MetGala Fashion Week. Turns out her sister is equally talented. By day she designs hunting gear but she is best known for her KEA dress, which was was selected to appear in World Fashion Week and inspired her collection at the NZ fashion week. For the the MetGala, her sister's brief top Stace was, "I want a Lady Godiva girl with long blonde hair on a horse that is rearing - and I want it all shot in camera." (She probably also said, "Oh and sis, can you do it for free!).
The worst part about it was she made Stacey wear a dress for the Gala which was about as horrifying as when we asked Stacey to be the art director AND make-up artist on a Westpac shoot. She looked horrified and turning to me said " Sue I have never worn make-up - I can't do this!!" To which I replied," Well I haven't either so start practising!" You're ace, stace!
