All About Trading - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
Your college studies focused on the sciences; how did you
develop your artistic talents?
Tracie: For as long as I remember, I have always loved to draw
and paint. Creating in some form seems to be a part of me that
never goes away. I often feel that there are two sides to me: the
creative side and the scientific side, both happily existing alongside
each other in a complimentary fashion.
While at the university, I still found time to ‘create’. It seemed to
balance me in some way. However, my art ‘development’ was
somewhat stagnant. I wasn’t actively trying to further myself
in that area; it was more something that I just did or was just
there.
Why did you decide to pursue the sciences, and has
scientific knowledge had any impact on your art?
Tracie: When I was in my final year of high school, I felt like
I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. I had
done well academically as well as artistically throughout my
final year so I had to decide which side of ‘me’ to pursue at the
university.
I had (and still do have) a passion in both areas. It finally came down to logic. I could study chemistry and
science and do art as a hobby, but I couldn’t study art and do chemistry/science as a hobby. This way I was
able to keep both parts of me together.
I would say that scientific knowledge has really only impacted my artwork in two areas. Anatomy lessons
were invaluable in learning the human form.
Understanding how the human body works, from skeleton
to skin, has enabled me to draw the human form more
accurately.
And my chemical knowledge has helped me in areas involved
with the mixing of certain types of artistic supplies. Knowing
what each chemical is, in a substance, means I know the
outcome of a mix without having to ‘test’. That has come in
handy a few times.
What are your favorite materials for both your drawn and
mixed media work?
Tracie: For my drawn artwork, my favorite materials would be
Prismacolor pencils, lead pencils, and fine-line black markers.
I would consider those items to be my trusty faves and ones I
just couldn’t do without. For mixed media artwork, my favorite
materials would be anything I can get my hands on! Even then,
most of my mixed media work usually contains paints, markers
and pencils also.
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