Tracey Adams – Artist Statement

Art and music have always played huge roles in my life. I studied piano for many years, then earned my advanced degrees in composition and conducting, while simultaneously enrolling in drawing and painting classes. In 1992, I arrived at a critical moment when I had to decide whether to devote all my time to music or to art. Art won.

Art and music share so many elements, technically different though they are. It is their similarities that engage and fascinate me, what bridges the two creative disciplines. By nature, I am organized and structured, enjoying being in control. My strongest work results when I’m not in control in the studio. Recently, I have arrived at a balance and blending of these two approaches. I will work for several hours with a roll of Japanese paper not looking at or reacting to what I’m doing, simply responding to whatever comes up. On another day, I may create a group of intaglio prints or paint several layers of an encaustic painting; both require conscious thought with regard to process. These works on paper are then cannibalized, cut up into fragments. With this new body of fragment works on paper, I look for elements among them that are synergistic, elements that will coalesce into a balanced and successful composition.

Working in series, developing subsequent pieces from those just created, like theme and variations, I exhaust the possibilities for exploration. Many times I will scrape down or paint over existing paintings or works on paper that are not successful, aware that I must create something much stronger and powerful. Influenced by nature and the rural coastal environment where I live, I am drawn to patterns, puzzles, geometry and the endless connections I’m able to make within that realm.

Resume

Education

1981 School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

1980 MM, New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, MA

1978 BA, Mt. St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA

Exhibitions

Solo

• 2009 Hypnagogia, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
• 2009 Synapse/Synapses, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA
• 2009 Hypnagogia, Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA and Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2008 Recent Encaustic Paintings, Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2007 Music of Spheres, Rhythm of Squares, Melanee Cooper Gallery, Chicago, IL
• 2007 Thinking in Circles, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2006 The Perfection of Imperfection, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2006 The Perfection of Imperfection, Winterowd Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
• 2005 The Symmetry of Asymmetry, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2005 The Symmetry of Asymmetry, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 2005 The Symmetry of Asymmetry, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2003 Routines and Rituals, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2002 Intervals: Gesture to Icon, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2002 Intervals: Gesture to Icon, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2001 Intimate Possibilities, Carson Masuoka Gallery, Denver, CO
• 2001 Intimate Possibilities, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2000 Broken Symmetry, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 1999 New Work, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 1998 New Monotypes, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 1996 Ambiguities, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA
• 1995 Recent Monotypes, U.C. Santa Cruz, Stevenson College, Santa Cruz, CA

Group

• 2008 Relative Geometries, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ
• 2008 Contemporary Ruin, Escondido Museum, Escondido, CA
• 2008 Translucent - Contemporary Works in Wax, Cain Schulte Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2008 A View of the Collection, Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Santa Cruz, CA
• 2008 Red Dot Fair, Bryant Street Gallery, New York, New York
• 2007 Translucent: Encaustic Paintings of Tracey Adams, Gay Patterson, Judith Kinstler, & David Park”, Gebert Contemporary, Venice, CA
• 2007 New Encaustic Paintings, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT
• 2007 Three Encaustic Painters: Tracey Adams, Mark Rediske, Tony Scherman, Sandy Carson Gallery, Denver, CO
• 2007 Introductions, Patricia Rovzar Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2007 Encaustic Works 2007, Ball State University, OH
• 2007 California Views: Portals and People, Nat’l Steinbeck Museum, Salinas, CA
• 2007 Bridge Art Fair ‘07, Melanee Cooper Gallery, Chicago, IL
• 2007 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2007 Affordable Art Fair, Julie Nester Gallery, Bryant Street Gallery, New York, NY
• 2006 SFMOMA Art Auction 2006, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
• 2006 Invitational Auction Fundraiser, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
• 2006 Art (212), The 69th Regiment Armory, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2006 Affordable Art Fair, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2006 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2005 Gallery Artists, Allene Lapides Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
• 2005 Summer in Southpark, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 2005 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2005 Works on Paper, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, Armory, New York, NY
• 2005 Monothon, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
• 2005 ART/LA, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, Santa Monica, CA
• 2005 SFIAE, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
• 2005 New Visions, Eleonore Austerer Galley, Palm Desert, CA
• 2004 Between The Lines: Traveling Full Circle, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA
• 2004 Images of Vermont, traveling exhibition: Andy Warhol Museum, Medzilaborce, Slovakia; Východoslovenská galéria v Kosiciach, Kosice, Slovakia; Sarisská galéria, Presov, Slovakia, U.S. Steel Towers, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2004 A Survey of Printmaking, Locus Gallery, St. Louis, MO
• 2004 New Gallery Artists, Trinity Gallery, Atlanta, GA
• 2004 Tenth Annual Holiday Show, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
• 2004 SFIAE, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
• 2004 Invitational Fall Auction, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
• 2004 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2004 Affordable Art Fair, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2003 Gallery Artists, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2003 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2003 Gallery Artists, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 2003 Eighth Annual Holiday Show, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
• 2003 Twentieth Anniversary Show, Trinity Gallery, Atlanta, GA
• 2003 Wildflowers: Women Artists of the Monterey Peninsula, Pacific Grove Art Center, Pacific Grove, CA
• 2001 Juried Exhibition, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2001 The Colors of Courage, Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
• 2001 Gallery Artists, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 2001 Gallery Artists, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2000 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2000 Invitational Miniature Show, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA
• 2000 Contemporary Monotypes, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2000 Twenty-One for Twenty-One, Locus Gallery, St. Louis, MO
• 2000 Artstravaganza, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
• 1999 Small Things Come in Good Packages, Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 1999 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1999 Summer 1999, Locus Gallery, St. Louis, MO
• 1998 Gallery Artists, Solomon Projects, Atlanta, GA
• 1998 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1998 Juried Exhibition, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1998 Alumni Exhibition, Mt. St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA
• 1998 A Three Point Perspective, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA
• 1997 Gallery Artists, Artspace II, Birmingham, MI
• 1997 Gallery Artists, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 1997 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1997 Gallery Artists, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 1996 Juried Exhibition, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1996 Atlanta 1996, Nancy Solomon Gallery, Atlanta, GA
• 1996 Gallery Artists, Olga Dollar Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 1996 Five Gallery Artists, Los Angeles County Museum Rental, Sales Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• 1996 Gallery Artists, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 1996 The Monotype: Method to Magic, Pope Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA Cabrillo College, Aptos, CA
• 1996 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1995 Janet Turner National Print Competition, California State University, Chico, CA,
• 1995 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1995 Gallery Artists, Andrea Schwartz Gallery, San Francisco, CA
• 1995 Los Angeles Printmaking Society, Brand Art Gallery, Glendale, CA
• 1995 National Works on Paper VII, Valdosta University, Valdosta, GA
• 1995 3 Printmakers, Miriam Perlman Gallery, Chicago, IL
• 1995 Three Artists’ Works on Paper, Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, Carmel, CA
• 1994 Central Coast Art Association, Marjorie Evans Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 1994 Juried Exhibition, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA
• 1994 Gallery Artists, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
• 1993 Miniatures, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 1993 Juried Exhibition, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA,
• 1993 Gallery Artists, Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
  

Bibliography

• 2009 Encaustic: A Guide to Creating Fine Art with Wax, Lissa Rankin, Sterling Pub., 2009
• 2008 “Color from the Hive”, 15 Bytes: Artists of Utah, Geoff Wichert, September 2008
• 2007 “Four Encaustic Artists”, Denver Westword, Michael Paglia, December 20, 2007
• 2007 Exhibition catalog, “Encaustic Works 2007”, 6th Annual Biennial Exhibition, Curator, Joan Snyder
• 2007 Homestyle Magazine, “Weber & Winfield – the Art of Art”, Melanie Chatfield
• 2007 Resurrection of the Dust (poetry), cover art, John McKernan, The Backwaters Press, April
• 2006 Santa Fe Reporter, “The Perfection of Imperfection”, Patricia Sauthoff, Santa Fe, NM
• 2006 Geoform, interviewed for an online forum focusing on the use of geometric form and structure in contemporary abstract art
• 2006 Homestyle Magazine, “Designed with Local Art”, Michael Chatfield, Monterey, CA
• 2006 Exhibition catalog, “SFMOMA Art Auction 2006”, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA
• 2005 The Monterey Herald, “The Symmetry of Asymmetry: Tracey Adams Uses Ancient Technique to Explore Nature’s Harmonics”, by Lisa Watson, February 17
• 2005 Exhibition Catalog, “The Symmetry of Asymmetry”, Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• 2005 Coast Weekly, “Shape Shifter”, by Rick Deragon, January 20
• 2004 Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, “Advanced States of Concentration”, Winter Issue
• 2004 Exhibition Catalog, “Between the Lines: Traveling Full Circle”, Carl Cherry Center, Carmel, CA
• 2003 Exhibition Catalog, “Pictures in Vermont”, Andy Warhol Museum, Medzilaborce, Slovakia
• 2003 Korzar, “Pripomina vlnu i cudnu husenicu”, March 24
• 2003 Vytvarnicka, Television Interview at Vychodoslovenska Galeria, by Andrea Tomaschova, March 25
• 2003 Kosicky Vecer, “Hladam ludi, ktori ma zaujmu”, by Miloslava Hriadelova, March 26
  
• 2003 Coast Weekly, “Tracey Goes to Slovakia”, by Sue Fishcoff, April 3
• 2003 Coast Weekly, “Ancient Voyages”, by Rick Deragon, November 26
• 2001 Exhibition Catalog, “Intervals: Gesture to Icon”, Markel Fine Arts, New York, NY
• 2001 Coast Weekly, “Her Art, Her Story”, by Rick Deragon, November 7
• 2001 Coast Weekly, “Big Deal, Tiny Art”, by Rick Deragon, Dec 4
• 2001 KMEX Television, “Life in the Arts”, Maia Carroll, January 17
• 2001 Artweek, “Previews: Tracey Adams”, by Berin Golonu, November 1
• 2001 Exhibition Catalog, “Intimate Possibilities”, Carson Masuoka Gallery, Denver, CO
• 2001 Rocky Mountain News, “Small and Intimate on Display”, by Mary Voelz Chandler, November 30
• 2000 Chattanooga Free Press, “Artstravaganza 2000", by Ann Nichols, May 21
• 1998 KUSP (NPR Radio), “Focus on the Arts”, interview by Heidi Hybl, Santa Cruz, CA, July 1
• 1997 Adventures in Dining, “Women Artists Reflect Diversity”, by Terri Vandercook, October 18
• 1996 Monterey Herald, “Monotype Artist’s Plate is Full with Art, Exhibits, and Teaching”, by Kathryn M. Nichols, February 1
• 1996 Exhibition Essay, “Monotype: Method to Magic”, Tobin Keller
• 1996 Artistwriter, “Magical Monoprints”, by George Rivera, March/April
• 1996 Monterey Herald, “Tracey Adams: Orchestrating her Artistry”, by Lisa Crawford Watson, August 4
• 1995 Exhibition Catalogue, Valdosta National Works on Paper VII, by Stephen Anderson, Valdosta University, Valdosta, GA
• 1995 The Valdosta Daily Times, “National Juried Art Exhibit Opens Today”, Paul Leavy, February 14
• 1995 Monterey Peninsula Review, “Show of Monotypes, Woodcuts Opens with Public Reception”, May
• 1995 Coast Weekly, “Synchronicity”, by Terri Vandercook, May 25
• 1995 Chico Enterprise-Record, “Quality Shows in Turner Print Collection”, Michelle French, Nov. 25, p.21

Awards/Honors

• 2007 Third Place Cash Award, “California Views: Portals and People”, National Steinbeck Museum, Salinas, CA
• 2005 Residency Bemis Art Center, Omaha, NE
• 2004 Artist’s Grant, Ministry of Culture, Slovak Republic, Multiserv Slovensko, Slovak Republic, U.S. Steel, Kosice, Slovakia, “Between the Lines: Traveling Full Circle”.
• 2004 Trillium Press, Brisbane, CA
• 2003 Artist’s Grant, State Dep’t: “Images of Vermont”, Andy Warhol Museum, Medzilaborce, Slovakia
• 2003 Artist’s Grant, U.S. Steel, “Images of Vermont”, Andy Warhol Museum, Medzilaborce, Slovakia, and U.S. Steel Towers, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2002 Who’s Who in the World; Who’s Who in America
• 1996 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers
• 1996 Scholarship, CSU, Long Beach, “The Transient Image”
• 1995 Artist’s Grant, Printmaking, The Community Foundation of Monterey
• 1995 Artist’s Fellowship Grant, Vermont Studio Center

Selected Public Collections

• Beverly Hills Public Library, Beverly Hills, CA
• Crocker Museum, Sacramento, CA
• Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, CA
• Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA
• Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA
• New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, MA
• Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, OH
• Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
• Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
• U.S. Department of State, Washington D.C.
• U.S. Department of the Army, Seoul, Korea
• U.S. Department of the Army, Washington D.C.
• University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
• University of California Medical Center, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
• University of Wisconsin Medical Center, Madison, WI
  

Selected Corporate Collections

• Adobe Systems, San Jose, CA
• AT &T Corporate Headquarters, Los
• Angeles, CA (commission)
• Bell Labs, Pale Alto, CA (commission)
• Canon Corporation, San Jose, CA (commission)
• Caribe Hilton, San Juan, Puerto Rico (commission)
• Charles Schwab Corporate, San Francisco, CA (Commission)
• The Chubb Group, Warren, New Jersey
• Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Dallas, Texas (installation commission)
• David and Lucille Packard Foundation, Los Altos, CA
• Deloitte and Touche, New York, NY
• Department of the Army, Seoul, Korea
• Fidelity Investments, Boston, MA (commission)
• Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI
• Four Seasons Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ, Dallas, TX, Hawaii
• Fujitsu, Dallas, TX
• General Electric Corporation, Stamford, CN (commission)
• General Telephone and Electronics, San Francisco, CA
• Hallmark: Corporate Headquarters, Kansas City, MO
• Hambrecht and Quist, San Francisco, CA
• Hilton Hotel, Alexandria, VA, Austin, Texas
• Intel, Inc., San Jose, CA
• Intercontinental Hotel, San Francisco, CA
• Kaiser-Permanente Hospital, San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Oakland, CA, Santa Clara, CA
• Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, Los Angeles, CA
• Marcus and Millichap, Detroit, MI, Washington D.C.
• Marriott Associa, Nagoya, Japan
• McKinsey & Co., Washington, DC (commission)
• MGM Grand Hotel, Spa Collection, Las Vegas, NV (commission)
• Nokia, San Diego, CA (commission)
• Oral B Laboratories, Redwood City, CA
• Pacific Island Hotel, Hong Kong (commission)
• Pfizer Pharmaceutical, New York
• Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Boston, MA ·
• Royal Island Pacific Hotel, Hong Kong (commission)
• Rush Presbyterian Hospital, Chicago, CA (commission)
• Saban Entertainment, Los Angeles, CA
  
• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA (commission)
• Shin Tokorozawa Hospital, Tokorozawa, Japan
• Sony Corporation, San Jose, CA (commission)
• Sprint: Corporate Headquarters, Overland Park, KS
• Toyota Corporation, Torrance, CA
• VISA: Corporate Headquarters, San Francisco, CA