The Essence of Art: A Journey into Tracey Levett’s Creative World

Art is not just a visual experience; it is a profound exploration of life, beauty, and the human condition. Tracey Levett invites us into her artistic sanctuary, sharing insights into her creative process and the deeper meanings behind her work.

The Importance of Quiet Reflection

Before diving into the vibrant world of painting, Tracey emphasizes the significance of quiet time. Whether through reading or meditation, this tranquil period allows her to center herself, facilitating a flow of creativity that is essential to her practice. This meditative state transforms the act of painting into a spiritual experience, making it possible for energy and inspiration to flourish.

The Dance of Creation

Starting with a blank canvas can often be intimidating, but Tracey approaches this challenge with a sense of adventure. Armed with a large brush, she liberates the white space, applying loose, washy paint to create expressive marks. This initial phase of painting is exhilarating, reminiscent of a dance where intuition and intellect interact fluidly. The process of stepping back to assess her work maintains a dynamic balance between instinctive creativity and thoughtful observation, allowing for an organic unfolding of the artwork.

The Beauty of Flowers as a Subject

Flowers occupy a special place in Tracey’s artistic journey. Initially capturing their essence as a novice painter, she has returned to them in recent years, finding solace and inspiration in these delicate subjects. Flowers not only allow for expressive freedom but also provide opportunities to explore line and form. Through her work, Tracey taps into the metaphorical significance of flowers, reflecting the transient nature of life itself. She draws parallels between human existence and the fleeting beauty of flowers, suggesting that both are sacred incarnations of the divine.

Art as Reflection and Philosophy

Tracey’s artwork transcends mere aesthetics; it embodies a philosophical exploration of existence. In a world dominated by technology and relentless activity, her art invites viewers to pause and contemplate their lives. The intersection of philosophy and beauty in her work aims to provoke thought and introspection, encouraging a deeper understanding of life’s mysteries.

Through her exhibition titled “Essence,” Tracey seeks to capture the fundamental qualities of existence and identity. She hopes that viewers can connect with the energy she felt while creating each piece, experiencing a resonance that invites them to reflect on their own lives.

Conclusion

Tracey Levett’s artistic journey is an exploration of beauty, existence, and the intimate connections between life and art. Her work, deeply rooted in philosophy and inspired by the sacredness of flowers, serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of our time on earth. As viewers stand before her paintings, they are encouraged to take a moment to feel the energy and emotions captured on the canvas, fostering a transformative experience that transcends the visual realm.

Video Transcript

Hi I’m Tracey Levett this is my studio, it’s really my little world where I like to come and work and spend time. Before I paint I like to have a little bit of quiet time. Sometimes I read, sometimes I meditate but that quiet time is really important. It helps me to get in a place where the work can flow. It’s become an essential part of my practice and it definitely makes a lot of difference.

When I’m starting a new canvas I usually like to take a big brush and just go for it, I try and get rid of that white with lots of loose washy paint and make lots of beautiful marks. This can often be the most fun this part of the painting and it can also be where you make the most exciting brushstrokes.

It seems to me that painting is a lot like dancing, step in we put a mark on the canvas you step back and you take a look so it’s this kind of dance between intuition and a little bit of analytical intellect but I try and keep my mind out of things as much as I can and try and really just dance in and out with the intuition.

So it’s a beautiful process and I can feel the energy flowing through me when I’m doing it. If I feel that energy start to dissipate I know it’s time to stop.

Painting flowers have been an interesting subject for me because I started painting flowers when I first started painting. But in the last few years I’ve come back to painting flowers. For me, flowers are a great subject
because I can be really relaxed and loose with them and it gives me lots of opportunities also to work with line, which I love.

Lots of artists as we know painted them so that’s been the botanical artist but then there are the other artists who have painted flowers and use them as a metaphor for life. And that’s understandable because flowers come seemingly out of nowhere, they bloom for a very short while and it’s kind of like us it’s like life, we are here we bloom hopefully while we’re here we have a little time on earth and then before you know we’ve gone back to wherever we came from I also feel that flowers like us human beings, they’re like little incarnations of the divine. I think there’s something very sacred about flowers.

I was trying to understand from a very young age what life is all about, why we’re here and so that’s also the theme that runs through all my work, I’m really interested in painting something that’s important maybe that makes people stop and think about their life. Everybody’s so busy especially with all our technology and so engaged that you actually never stop to think about things so you just go from one thing to the next.

So in my art I have incorporated two things that I love, philosophy and beauty. Because I think beauty also has the power to transform us. With life often we’re trying to make sense of everything but it’s like we’re looking through a pinhole trying to see the universe. We can only explore life from where we are with what we can see. Art’s the same thing. It’s such a big subject, so you have to pick a nice spot and maybe explore that area. Life is a mystery and art is a mystery. There’s so many parallels.

So this exhibition which I’ve called “Essence” I’ve tried to tap into that essential quality of things and of people of us of life. And I hope that when you stand in front of the paintings you can feel the feeling that I felt when I was creating the work. When I’m working I can feel that energy flowing through me. And I think if you could take a little bit of time you might feel that energy wash over you.

Well I hope you enjoy my work.It’s very precious to me and hopefully it will give you something.

Tracey Levett