by Tracey Adams | Aug 8, 2012 | Blog
I’ve been working on a particular painting for 10 months, loving some aspects of it, not loving the rest. Basically, it was not working for me and I was too attached to let it go. It seemed no matter how many layers of glaze I added, I couldn’t get it right. The issue involved the size of this particular panel and the composition. In the back of my mind, I knew what needed to be done, but didn’t want to do it. How could I cover up months of hard work developing such a beautiful surface? My decision was to turn it towards the wall where I didn’t have to be reminded of this on a daily basis.
Last Friday, I decided to add a couple of collage fragments, upset the compositional balance and paint over much of the painting’s surface. It was liberating to say the least. I could actually see where it needed to go. It was like holding up a mirror and looking at myself. I include a photo of the just-painted-over surface and will update as the old painting undergoes transformation.
Even though I’ve been painting for over 30 years, some paintings catch you by surprise, totally perplex you and, hopefully, become your greatest teachers. It took me almost a year, and this is the completed painting…
by Tracey Adams | Jun 16, 2012 | Blog
In writing my first Blog ever, I want to acknowledge how fortunate I am to have found my way into this amazing thing called art. I remember my first day as a graduate student at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. It was September of 1978 and I had been painting during the sweltering summer in my third floor studio apartment. All I wanted to do was continue painting and yet, I had recently committed to spending 2 years studying Conducting in school. This was a difficult decision especially considering I had a scholarship which would cover many of my expenses as a music student.
Jumping ahead to when I finished my music degree 2 years later, having taken as many art classes simultaneously as possible, I decided to move home to the west coast, I found whatever space I could to draw and paint. The kitchen became my new studio, putting everything away at night and converting it back to a place to cook and eat. I craved my very own studio, somewhere I could go to delight in this wonderful process of art making. I spent all my waking hours thinking about art, trying to find a way to make a new studio materialize.
Skipping ahead to 1992, my husband and I moved to Carmel, one of the most amazing places on earth, where we were surrounded by trees and exquisite beauty. I finally had my own place to paint. So much has happened in the 20 years since the summer we moved here: incredible exhibition opportunities, inspiration and growth and lots of hard focused work. It is fun to watch the evolution of my process especially since I work in series, many of which are shown under Art. While much has improved and evolved in the way I paint, the concept behind my art making has remained the same.
It seems fitting that I am celebrating 20 years of living in Carmel with the launch of my new website and Blog. There are so many people to thank and so much to be grateful for. Check in occasionally for some thoughts and ideas about the art process. Here’s to another 30 years of creativity!
