Going hand-in-hand with Australian artist Tracey Creighton’s large scale paintings is an even bigger imagination and genuine passion for her craft.
With a grandmother who painted, a father who designed homes and a mother who made fashion garments, it’s easy to guess why Tracey avoids falling into a specific artistic niche. Oil, mixed mediums, acrylic—Tracey does it all, with plenty of heart, soul and physicality brightening and strengthening each painting.
I couldn’t help but smile when I came across this first painting by Tracey, entitled Aquatic Harmony 1. With its outlined lily pads and animated goldfish, this 3-by-5 foot acrylic painting exudes buckets of playful whimsy and energy.
Tracey’s white swipes of paint portray fantastic vertical depth, while her circular strokes of blue-green create a swirling whirlpool threatening to pull the fish down. Perhaps it’s the thought of those cheerfully awaiting lily pads that motivates each goldfish to fight on.
Distant Breeze (seen below) was in located in Tracey’s seascape portfolio, but what I love most about it is its abstractness.
Certainly it’s easy to identify a coastline, sandy beaches, and sky, but what’s more impressive about this 4-by-5 foot oil painting is the way that colors sweep upward and to the right as if they themselves were floating in the coastal breeze.
Lastly, Holy Land is a 4-by-4 foot piece showcasing various mixed media (such as silk fiber, fabric, paper and metal fragments) which were applied directly to canvas.
Pure white pillars in the background could represent faith, while fiery orange and bright yellow hues might suggest pitfalls and temptations that lead to darkness. Likewise, the blue-hued elements could signify rebirth and a chance to begin anew.
You can find many more still lifes, landscapes, seascapes, and Tracey’s latest exhibition pieces by heading out to her website.