The desire to create has always lived in Tracy Reddy. Although she says she wasn’t very good at art in school, she has always been willing to try anything in the name of creativity.
“I’ve had my fingers in many a pie,” says Tracy, as she recalls her previous endeavours. “Now I’m focussed on painting and it’s been amazing and a little surreal how people have responded.”
Like many artists, Tracy has always dabbled with paints but about eight years ago, she found herself accidently creating something completely new and it’s been a success ever since.
“It started when I tried to make an African Juju Hat as a gift for a friend and it was a complete flop, literally. It wouldn’t hold its shape,” says Tracy.
“Rather than give up on the whole thing, I decided to frame what I had, which was essentially a feather collage, and gift that instead. Thankfully my friend loved it and so did her family, and soon I was being asked to make more.”
Tracy’s feather collages are a what she terms “a labour of love”, taking over 15 hours to make and using around 500 feathers. Every feather in the collage is individually hand painted by Tracy using acrylic paints. Once dry, Tracy meticulously glues each feather into a circular pattern, beginning with the outermost rim and working her way in one layer at a time.
The result is a vibrant colour explosion which is then encased in glass and framed, ready to hang on the wall and brighten almost any space.
Since that first Juju Hat experiment, Tracy estimates she has made over 80 collages.
“I think people like them because they are unique and they can be created to fit any colour scheme. “Several feather collages have been commission pieces, where I’ve worked with the client on a colour palette to suit their home.
“But sometimes I just create one based on colours or patterns I’m loving at the time. I enjoy what I do and I’ll try anything. It’s funny, I’ve never really expected things to work out so in truth, I’m really flattered that people like what I do.”
While the collages remain the feature of Tracy’s artwork, she is now branching out of her comfort zone to paint colourful abstracts and botanicals on canvas and it is through this avenue that she feels she has really grown as an artist.
“The precision required to make the feather collages suits my personality – I can be a bit of a perfectionist. But the abstracts and the botanicals have helped me relax as an artist and embrace imperfections.
“What I perceive as mistakes are what people appreciate most. I often find people love the pieces I don’t think are that good and it always surprises me. I’ve learned that the less perfect something is, the better.
Tracy admits she is still awed by the response her artwork receives, including the ongoing requests for feather collages.
“I am so appreciative for the support from family, friends and the local community. Being able to keep things small and local, selling through word of mouth and through local shops, is ideal for me.”
With a continued passion to create and try her hand at something new, Tracy has started to play around with sketching landscapes.
“I’m focussed on embracing my own style and trusting my instincts, producing work that feels authentic. I want to continue creating pieces on a small scale that people love and I’m excited to see where it takes me.”
Tracy’s artwork, including current items for sale, can be viewed on Instagram and you can contact her directly at tracy_reddy@hotmail.com to enquire about sales and commission pieces.
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