Andree Tracey

Artist Statement

When I was a child, I loved to tell tall tales and paint fantasy landscapes. I thought that even if things seemed familiar, nothing was quite the way it appeared. It thrilled me to think there was an alternate story, another dimension to behold.

It's no wonder that I became enamored of magic realism, mythology and the codified world of dreams. As a storyteller, I love to portray mundane events that are definitely out of the ordinary, tinged with irony or black humor. I've found inspiration in the Surrealist paintings of Rene Magritte, the color palette of Pierre Bonnard, the narrative qualities of Peter Doig's paintings and the lyrical stories of magical realism found in the prose of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

My paintings and mixed media work, like interesting dreams, are open to individual interpretation. Be they amusing or cautionary tales, my hope is that they will provide the viewer with a unique look at reality.

Biography

Andree Tracey is a painter and collage artist with a love of color and pictorial drama.
Her childhood was spent amidst castles and windmills on her father's miniature golf course in Iowa, situated on a windy bluff overlooking the Missouri River. This fanciful upbringing combined with her later experiences as a freelance artist for advertising agencies in Los Angeles and Minneapolis sparked her imagination and opened the door to a life in the arts.

Her artwork has been collected by individuals as well as corporations and museums including the Tampa Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally as well as with local venues such as Five Deuces Galleria, Studio 620, Mize Gallery and the Morean Arts Center.

Grants and fellowships include Polaroid Corporation Artist Support Grants, the Leopold Godowsky, Jr. Color Photography Award, the McKnight Photography Fellowship, and the Arts Midwest/NEA Regional Artist Fellowship in Painting.

When not in her studio, she can be found browsing in antique stores hunting for vintage photos for inspiration or sketching in her garden.

Currently she resides in St. Petersburg, Florida where she continues to create enigmatic paintings inspired by the tropical sunlight, exotic foliage and wild beauty of the Sunshine State.

Studio visits are welcomed!

Exhibition History (CV)