"When people look at my work I would like them to be reminded of their younger selves, to a less complicated time, and to always bring a smile." - Melodie, 2014.

Mixed media artist Melodie Stacey from Brighton initially trained in Fine Art, specialising in painting. In recent years she decided to try other mediums, this resulted in her branching into doll making, sewing and papercrafts.

Melodie is influenced by children's book illustrations, folk art and crafts, and more recently graphic art. Her papier mache faces and cloth dolls are an extension of her my drawings and paintings, bringing them into a more tactile form.

"My work has always had a strong illustrative nature to it. I like to draw figures or faces in a reflective and thoughtful mood. It appeals to me to have a story behind the face, or faces so that the viewer can wonder for themselves. My paintings here are based on recent sketchbook work, which has been lately centering on the old time travelling circus. I like to imagine the people and characters that were there, the clowns, trapeze artists and show girls.

My dolls are in a way like my paintings in the same sense of telling a story, and I like them to be seen that way. I sew and knit all their dresses myself and base them on sketches too.

The paper cuts are a new venture for me which I find a very exciting medium, and I hope to continue till I'm working on larger pieces.

Overall I want my work to be enjoyed as playful, quirky and warm with a little dash of the fairy tale." - Melodie Stacey