Tracey Gaan - MFA artist
I am an MFA artist who started my PhD to become an artist philosopher. I discovered how much I missed my true passion in the studio and decided to postpone completion of my PhD.
I grew up with two artist parents. One, a world renowned industrial designer and the other an art educator, so art came very naturally to me. My artistic talent is a God given gift. My parents encouraged my practice and entry to competition. Through this encouragement I honed skill that enjoys many successes and a drive that has never stopped.
Visual and audio limitations pose a large challenge to my daily living, so I learned to navigate with heightened sense in other areas. These handicaps prove as a great benefit to an art practice giving excitement and personality to my work. I pay attention to nuanced detail that others often miss. My limitations make me hyper focused on education of my subjects and sensitive to how they move and live in the world around them. Subtleties like wind movement, flutters of ears, skin, hair, and leaves mean as much to me as the subjects themselves. Adding enthusiasm by injecting humor makes infectious sophistication as well as an approachability shine in my translation of situations.
With this alternative way of experiencing the world I have a unique perspective of viewing art. I spend an immense amount of time cultivating meditative experiences into a world view that involves solitude, deep thought, and then an explosion of work productivity.
I am profoundly grateful for all my life experiences, both positive and negative. I hope this is translated in my work. I see art as both an escape and a way to express and share my love and joy of life.
I grew up in the Seattle area but spent my summers in the countryside of Idaho and Montana. I am as comfortable mucking horse stalls and cow barns as I am walking the runway and city sidewalks. The beautiful divide of my personality melds fly fishing and reading Immanuel Kant.
Training and showing dogs and horses around the nation tempered by sitting downtown designing detailed artworks, and contemplating thought on architectural design, helps explain my love and comfort of both urban and country surroundings.
Art is a way for me to live both sides of the fence at once. It helps me make sense of these opposing worlds, and allows me to communicate the beauty and richness within them. I have autonomy over my love of philosophy, passion for animal husbandry, and attraction and curiosity to high fashion.
Thank you so much for visiting my website and experiencing a little of my world. I have such gratitude and want to thank my gallery and museum curators, MFA cohorts, my professors, my family, and of corse… my dogs and horses.