Tracie Peisley

Tracie Peisley
Whitstable, Kent, United Kingdom

STATEMENT

I have been an Artist for 40 years. I studied psychology, trauma and the human condition in parallel with my art practice, qualifying as an Art Therapist in 2006. I observe that in all my art pieces I am trying to assemble a whole from many parts. This fragmentation is perhaps related to trauma and a need for containment. My creative process is intuitive and draws from my unconscious which has been enriched by study and travel. I believe as I select pieces for collage unconsciously collating, I make works which are powerfully symbolic and speak of universal experiences. This is borne out by people’s responses to the work and my interest in world symbolism where common themes and myths are found.

I trained as a painter but had the opportunity to work in ceramic, glass, metal work and film. I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist. By changing media I can maintain a liberty of expression, I work intensely on a body of work for several months, however drawing and collage have been consistent disciplines throughout my career.

I have taught collage and I warn that it can be triggering. The psyche speaks its truth as I trust process to gather imagery. I have known it to be transformative for myself and others.

I have worked with collating fabrics making appliqué collages, some as wearable art I called “floral armour”. I work intensely on bodies of work more recently incorporating stream of consciousness writing through a zine format with a view to publishing limited edition Artists’ books.

BIO

I was born into a working class family in the United Kingdom. Unexpectedly, I studied painting BA & MA in Fine Art Painting at Bath Academy and City of Birmingham Poly (1985-89). I went on to qualify as an Art
Therapist at Hertfordshire University in 2006, where I embraced working in different media and studied the nature of creative processes. I have exhibited consistently since 1985, including selection to the Overseas League and Riverside Open in London, 1989. After travelling to USA, Africa and Greece, I returned to Kent in the United Kingdom and became actively involved in community arts before training as a teacher in 2000. I curated art programmes and exhibitions as directing Pandora’s Other Box Project at the Horsebridge Arts Centre Whitstable, 2006 and 2008.

More recently, I was selected to exhibit at Turner Contemporary Margate in their Open Showcase of Kent Artists 2020 a series of ceramic figurines called “Les Saltimbanques”. I had short film selected for POW Thanet and Bath Fringe Film festivals. I am currently exhibiting at Linden Gallery Winter Show, Deal and have been invited to exhibit work on story telling for The Beany Art Gallery and Museum Canterbury in Autumn 2023. I was selected to contribute to “unravelling womens art” by PL Henderson (published 2021).

Through life experience and study I have a clear over view of my creative practice.

In 2022, I received a full DYCP (Develop Your Creative Practice Award) award from the Arts Council England endorsed by Kent Creative.

ARTIST CONTACT

[click to email]
www.traciepeisley.com

IMAGES