I grew up in rural Marydel, Maryland, the youngest of 4. As my siblings became teenagers, I was constantly surrounded by pop culture. All the movies, magazines, CD covers, and music videos opened up a world of creativity I didn't see in my community. I learned color theory, painting, and collaging at Delaware College of Art and Design. As an artist, I've always been drawn to black and white art and loved exploring the gray tones in between. My subjects are primarily people, as I find faces exciting and challenging.
Stacey Cruise has co-founded and administered four academically successful and richly diverse, Kindergarten-twelfth grade public charter schools for 3000+ students in Philadelphia. Additionally, Stacey co-founded and served as the Chief Executive Officer for American Paradigm Schools, a nonprofit educational management organization. Since 2014, she has been the founder and principal consultant for Legacy School Services, Inc., a school improvement consulting firm.