Logan artist shines on ABC's Portrait Artist of the Year

17 September 2026

For most of her adult life, Stacey Bennett barely picked up a pencil.

Yet on 20 September, the Jimboomba mum will appear on ABC's Portrait Artist of the Year, putting her creative talent on display before a national audience.

This achievement is all the more remarkable because Stacey spent more than a decade away from the art she loved as a child.

Fascinated by faces and portraiture from a young age, she stopped creating altogether after leaving school and didn't return to it until motherhood changed everything.

That turning point came 13 years ago when her first son, Noah, arrived in unforgettable fashion.

ABOVE: Jimboomba artist Stacey Bennett, with family, in front of one of her installations in Slacks Creek.

Stacey had planned a hospital birth, but her son had other ideas. Labour progressed so quickly that he was delivered in an ambulance parked on the family's Jimboomba property.

In true Aussie style, kangaroos watched from nearby bushland while her husband arrived just in time to witness the dramatic arrival.

Looking back, it remains one of the family's favourite stories. More importantly, it sparked an entirely different journey for the Logan creative.

Following a tradition started by her own mother, Stacey decided to draw a portrait of her newborn son. At the time, she had not practised art since high school.

'There was a massive gap from when I left high school right up until I had my first baby at 30. I did nothing. I did not do art, essentially,' Stacey says.

Drawing Noah reignited something she thought she had lost but once she started the urge to continue took over.

Friends and family soon began requesting portraits of their own children, and what started as a personal keepsake gradually evolved into a flourishing creative career.

ABOVE: Stacey touches up one of her chalk artworks.

Today, Stacey is recognised for her portraits, murals and award-winning chalk artworks. She describes herself as a 'visual translator', someone who uses colour, expression and composition to tell the stories behind the faces she draws.

'Someone's got a story, but I've got to translate that into a visual,' Stacey says.

While Stacey’s talent is undeniable, imposter syndrome almost stopped her from pursuing the path to appearing on one of Australia's most prestigious portraiture stages.

When she first saw the trailer for Portrait Artist of the Year Australia, Stacey’s reaction was visceral and immediate.

'I remember thinking, "Absolutely not. There is no way. What fool would do that live?"' Stacey says.

But as she watched the first season, she began recognising elements of her own artistic practice in the competing artists. The idea lingered.

When applications opened for season two, she quietly submitted a self-portrait and audition video without even telling her husband she had applied.

After multiple audition rounds and months of waiting, the call finally came confirming she had secured a place on the show.

'It was all the feelings,' Stacey says. 'Obviously super excited, but then also super scared going, "There's no backing down now. I'm going to be out there for Australia to judge."'

Filming proved every bit as intense as she expected.

ABOVE: Stacey hard at work, with music playing on her headphones, during filming of ABC's Portrait Artist of the Year.

Contestants were tasked with creating a portrait of a celebrity they had never met in just 4 hours, while cameras rolled, judges observed and a live audience watched every brushstroke.

'There's a celebrity sitting in front of you, 8 other artists, the judges, the hosts and cameras coming up randomly. There's a lot going on,' Stacey says.

To stay focused, Stacey leaned into something that may surprise those who think creating art requires peace and tranquility.

'I am a heavy metal girl, so I've usually got some heavy metal rocking on in my headphones,' Stacey says.

'I made a playlist specifically for the show and had Till Lindemann, Skindred and (Hed) P.E. on repeat. The energy in those songs was genuinely motivating and helped carry me through.'

The contrast between heavy metal and portraiture became something of a trademark during filming, with Stacey joking that producers seemed to view her as 'the heavy metal chalk girl'.

Despite years of creating art in public through chalk festivals and live events, national television brought a different kind of pressure.

'I remember the very first few lines I started to draw; I could feel my hand. It wasn't fully shaking, but it was almost like it was buzzing. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through me,' Stacey says.

ABOVE: Jimboomba artist Stacey Bennett is also an award-winning chalk artist.

Like many artists, Stacey grappled with insecurities during the competition, sometimes questioning whether she belonged alongside the other contestants. There were moments when she wondered if she had chosen the wrong approach or made a mistake she could not recover from.

But eventually, instinct took over.

'Once you get stuck into what you're doing, everything else just goes away,' Stacey says.

By focusing on the work in front of her and trusting the process that had brought her this far, Stacey found her footing. The experience also gave her something she did not expect, and that’s greater confidence in herself as an artist.

After years of quietly creating and often questioning whether she was good enough, the opportunity has helped reinforce what many others already see in her work.

Now, as audiences across the country watch her on Portrait Artist of the Year Australia, they will see a talented Logan artist competing in front of millions of viewers.

What they will not necessarily see is the years of self-doubt, persistence and courage that got Stacey there.

From a young mum sketching her newborn son after a dramatic birth in an ambulance to a nationally recognised artist sharing her work with audiences around the country, Stacey’s story proves it’s never too late to rediscover a passion.

Sometimes all it takes is picking up a pencil again.

To watch Stacey compete on Portrait Artist of the Year Australia, tune intoABC TV on Sunday, 20 September at 7:30pm.

Check out her work on Instagram @stacey_bennett_art or www.stacey bennettart.com. Stacey takes on a limited number of commissions each year, but welcomes enquiries.

PHOTO AT TOP: Stacey with the self-portrait she drew to secure her place on ABC's Portrait Artist of the Year.