Steve Tracy

Steve Tracy Artist Biography

As a now internationally recognized artist, Steve’s artistic side was spurred on from the time he was a child. Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Steve finds his motivation in the excitement of visual things, which provides an endless river of lessons. Steve believes, “The discovery of the evolution of art within oneself is easier as we get older and have more experiences to measure from.” The abstract nature of design is now what Steve finds to be most prevalent in his work. The real fun of the journey lies in the deconstruction and reconstruction into abstract form. “Sometimes I feel like a kid again re-discovering the old against a backdrop of newness and nostalgia.”

BIOGRAPHY

Steve Tracy is an internationally acclaimed, Emmy-award-winning artist collected all over the globe. He is most recognized for his Extreme Skiers and Canadian Landscapes and has mastered a wide variety of styles.

After discovering his natural affinity for art with a hand-me-down set of oil paints, Steve began his art at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he rubbed shoulders with the likes of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Andy Warhol in Soho. He went on to graduate from the Colorado Institute of Fine Art, furthering his studies in sculpting, design, drawing, illustration and commercial art. Steve also studied printmaking at California’s Kala Art Institute and was a member of the Denver Art Student League for many years as both a student and an instructor.

Steve Tracy paints a variety of genres but has become particularly well-recognized for his Canadian landscapes and for his sports collections, including his Extreme Skiers. Steve’s versatile body of work is recognizable by its vibrant palette and specialized technique. This sense of colour came from Steve’s experiences living in California and Hawaii. When asked who influenced him, Steve happily recalls training in New York City with Deborah Remington and Lowell Nesbitt. His infamous landscapes are largely inspired by the Canadian Masters such as Jack Chambers and the “Group of Seven.”

Steve spent several years working as a scenic artist and art director in the film production industry, working with notable companies such as MATTE World and IMAX. He won several awards, including an Emmy Award for his scenic artist work on the HBO movie “By Dawn’s Early Light” and Best Art Direction for a TV commercial completed with Tower Records.

Throughout his career, Steve Tracy has had numerous honoured recognitions, including “Best in Show” awards, being published in the New York Times, a long-term placement in the Empire State Building, and a feature as an “Artist to Collect” in the 2014 Fall Harvest edition of Arabella; a top Canadian architectural and design magazine.

Steve’s works have been exhibited in New York City, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Florida and in numerous group shows and fine art galleries in the U.S., Canada, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Europe. Steve has been commissioned to create custom art for a long list of corporations, including Atari, Apple, Bank of America, The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (official portrait artist), Cirque du Soleil, Farhi Holdings Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, The London Hunt and Country Club, MAC World, MATTE World, Microsoft, the New York Friar’s Club, Orchestra London, Pacific Bell, San Francisco’s French Embassy, and more.

Steve has travelled and lived in many places in the United States and Canada and has been dubbed the “Travelling Artist,” as he travels and works with his collector’s and interior designer’s needs. Steve paints from his well-appointed country art studio just north of London, Ontario, Canada, with his business partner and wife, Gert.

SELECT AWARDS AND HONOURS:

2006 – Cover of SERENITY magazine, Colorado: best of show Plein Air competition of 8 galleries and 150 artists, Evergreen, CO.
1997 – Empire State Building, New York, NY; permanent placement inserted into the wall of the building, behind glass and seen by millions of people each year
1996 – New York Friars Club, New York, NY; permanent placement: painting
1992 – Music and verse written by Tye Volkman about Steve’s painting of Waterfall: published and performed by the Eleanor Kinard Coral and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Salt Lake City, UT
1991 – EMMY Award, HBO scenic artist for the movie, “Dawns Early Light”
1990 – IMAX art director, BEST RIDE FILM, Clown Chao
1990 – TOWER RECORDS, best art direction, TV commercial, CA
1988 – Triton Museum, San Jose, CA, 2nd place, best of show KQED Auction
1986 – KALA, Berkley, CA, 2nd best of group show, printmaking
1985 – East Martello Museum, Key West, FL. Best of Show while member of Florida Keys Water Color Society
1980 – Colorado Institute of Art, best of show

EDUCATION

2000 – Denver Art Student League – Ron Hicks
1999 – Denver Art Student League – Quan Ho
1998 – Denver Art Student League – Jay Moore
1997 – Denver Art Student League – Doug Dawson
1988 – Win Ng, San Francisco, CA
1987 – Independent study, sculpture & painting
1986 – Eleanor Dickinson, San Francisco, CA; independent study & drawing
1986 – KALA Institute of Printmaking, Berkeley, CA; etching & monotype
1980 – Colorado Institute of Art, Graduate of Design
1976 – Metro State College, Denver, CO; art Richard Johnson, Diamond Speech coach, Denver, CO; speech
1973 – De Anza College, Cupertino, CA; art & humanities
1972 – School of Visual Art, New York, NY; drawing
Morgan Library, New York, NY; Art History
Deborah Remington, New York, NY; independent study: drawing
Lowell Nesbitt, New York, NY; independent study: painting
Sanford Gold, New York, NY; independent study: music
Alliance France, New York, NY; French
1971 – Cappuccino High School, Millbrae, CA

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work is a reflection of the self. The mirror image I see every day subliminally finds its way into my practice, resulting in art infused with colour, texture, and figurative forms. Every painting represents a new day, a new diary entry, and a new emotion. While I explore a variety of genres, the common theme in my work is abstract design, through which my personal cosmic experiences and passions are transposed into two or three-dimensional imagery. This abstract element can be found in each painting, just as elements of landscape painting can be found in all my abstract works. My background training in design has translated into a passion for creating visually aesthetic compositions that I can offer to the community.

When I was first introduced to art at the age of ten, I used a toothpick because I didn’t have a brush. This forced me to look at art as pixels creating detail. As a traditionalist at heart, I often employ oils, acrylics, and watercolours. After years of experimenting with oil paint, I have discovered ways of mixing, dying, and playing with gravity to create fanciful pieces. My use of materials has also extended to include birch boards, paper mache, and gold leaf and a plethora of mixed media due to my film experience. Regardless of the medium, my art reflects my passion for colour, natural landscapes, and imagination. I find daily inspiration from the natural beauty of my surroundings and from my own mindful experiences. I consequently lean towards scenes that are not confined by the parameters of reality. Throughout my life, art has provided a retreat from surrounding chaos as well as a mirror of a beautiful place. However, I have also learned to embrace all forms of chaos and combine it with the essentials of design to create equity in the design. My prior experience as a scenic artist and stage manager taught me that the world is my palette; a world which I love and long to improve through the visual communication of beauty.