A self-taught artist, Tracy creates her work using primarily oils and acrylics, but often uses a mixed media approach to give more depth and texture to the subject. The rich earthy colors and vibrant jewel tones found in nature inspire the landscapes which she favors. Often using a loose impressionistic style, Tracy lets color guide her rather than form. As the artist explains, “I want my landscapes to reflect the peace and solitude of nature…to give the viewer a visual break from all of the information and data we are constantly bombarded with.”
Born in England, Tracy was always interested in art and exploring the woods behind her Grandmother’s house, as a child. Combining her love of the outdoor world and painting was always a natural fit. Moving to Northeast Ohio and finally settling in Lake County, she finds endless sources of inspiration in her surroundings. “This is the perfect area. We sit right on the edge of Lake Erie, with all of its many moods. And of course the Metroparks are a treasure. I never get tired of seeing the changes that the seasons bring. Angry waves, a calm quiet marsh, flaming fall foliage, a blanket of fresh snow…it’s all here just waiting for us.”
At her home in the Chagrin Harbor Beach area of Eastlake, Ohio, Tracy creates her pieces in a studio in her backyard. “I can open the doors while I’m painting and hear the waves crashing against the shore. This area is also a big stopover for birds of all kinds. I love painting at night and listening to the herons calling to each other. Well, when I’m not playing my music ridiculously loud; I favor punk rock, much to my neighbor’s dismay.”
When she’s not getting messy in her home studio, Tracy, who has a degree in History, loves to read books and write self-described “dreadful love poetry”…which fits perfectly with her longtime day job at the Cleveland Public Library. “That’s not to say that ALL of my hobbies are as tame as reading and writing; I also collect tattoos and piercings — my poor mom!”
“At the end of the day I just like to create a mood with my pieces. I paint for myself, but I love making other people happy with it, too. Even after all this time I still get a huge kick out of knowing that something I’ve made is hanging in somebody’s home. Quite unbelievable, actually!”
Tracy’s artwork has been juried into, and won awards at, many Northeast Ohio art exhibitions and can be seen at Stella’s Art Gallery in Downtown Willoughby, Ohio.
