Current
Becoming
Artist - Tracey Halvorsen
(These six images represent a small percentage of the entire exhibit)
Statement
This latest body of work reflects a composite of subject and abstraction through continued exploration of landscapes, still life and narrative themes. Each painting begins with an unknown ending, allowing the work itself to guide the evolution. Liberated from expectation, a sense of freedom is conveyed, reflecting a purity of presence in the moment and offering unique insight into respect for the act of painting, over the end result.
The subject is often less of a focus than the rhythm of lights and darks, and the movement between the tangible surface of the paint and the illusion of form and space. The tactile nature of my approach provides a sense of being invited in, through welcoming notes and guideposts that leave the viewer room to experience their own path and story within the painting.
The subject is more scaffolding in my process than a foundation. The way the paint and color is laid down feels more to me like the melody of a voice or instrument, if we were listening to music instead of looking at a painting. As the gestures, brushwork, color choice and process evolves, the work unfolds to exude a complete sense of itself - a fully realized existence independent from my perspective. This is when I know the work is complete - or at least my role in it - and ready to live on its own. I believe art should have its own presence, as well as a few secrets, that allow it to speak with autonomy through both the process of painting and viewing.
The subject is often less of a focus than the rhythm of lights and darks, and the movement between the tangible surface of the paint and the illusion of form and space. The tactile nature of my approach provides a sense of being invited in, through welcoming notes and guideposts that leave the viewer room to experience their own path and story within the painting.
The subject is more scaffolding in my process than a foundation. The way the paint and color is laid down feels more to me like the melody of a voice or instrument, if we were listening to music instead of looking at a painting. As the gestures, brushwork, color choice and process evolves, the work unfolds to exude a complete sense of itself - a fully realized existence independent from my perspective. This is when I know the work is complete - or at least my role in it - and ready to live on its own. I believe art should have its own presence, as well as a few secrets, that allow it to speak with autonomy through both the process of painting and viewing.
Biography
Tracey Halvorsen began painting while in high school in Bethesda, Maryland. She went on to receive a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art (1993) (where she graduated with the school's top prize, the Agnes Gund Travelling Scholarship), and a MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art (1998). Halvorsen has had a number of solo shows in Ohio, Maryland and in Del Ray Beach, Florida, where she was represented by the Carlynn Gallery. An entrepreneur at heart, she started her own digital design agency, Fastspot, in 2001, and grew that company into an award-winning nationally recognized agency. After selling her company in 2019, she has turned her focus back to painting, while continuing to explore the intersections of creativity, business and the human experience through her work as a business consultant and as a co-founder in a technology focused startup, Return Solutions. |
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