Tracy Boyd

Her Work: Fine Artist (Painter)

 “This is where I can be messy and loud if I need to be and quiet if I need to be and introspective and just have tons of papers and books open.”

Tracy Boyd says “when I come here, this is my favorite place.” I ask her how she would describe the environment that she feels she works best in that she is the most productive an efficient. She says to me “I think for me its realizing that there’s two. There’s the one environment where I’m doing my computer work which is necessary and I do that sometimes in the morning at home where it’s quiet or at a coffee house which there are tons around here. But then when I come here, this is my favorite place. This is where I can be messy and loud if I need to be and quiet if I need to be and introspective and just have tons of papers and books open. The thing I really like is, having my own space, and I try to be clean when I leave but I can really have anything out I want and leave it and I know when I come back tomorrow it will be exactly the way I have it so I’m not sharing the space which is really nice. That was a very conscious decision.” She tells me she could’ve saved some money by sharing a studio but when you have someone else in your space you affect each other and you can’t help it. She thought it was better to have her own space and not be influenced by someone else’s moods or work style. It really feels like her space and she tells me that “bringing somebody in is on my terms which is nice.”

Tracy Boyd tells me a little about her work style and the benefits of having her own space. “For me as an artist I like being by myself. I really do like feeling at peace and not interrupted. Once in awhile somebody will knock, just somebody in the building but that rarely happens. So I know when I come here I’m by myself and I’m not going to be interrupted and I can do what I need to do and kind of almost meditate.” “you get into a really deep concentration. When I was working with a lot of people I used to put a do not disturb sign up but I got interrupted constantly so that I really really like.”

I ask her to tell me about her workspace and she says ““This space is an older building as you can see coming in.” “It’s four floors” “this building is full of artists and some computer design people and woodworkers and things like that. But my space I particularly like it because it has three big windows. I didn’t think I would like it as much because it faces the crowds that come from the convention center, the baseball field, and the football field so it can be crazy busy down there which is really interesting to see the different people and culture. It’s like my own little TV looking out the window. It can be a little loud at times because we’re all working but I love the openness” “and the fact that the windows are so big. I’ve been in spaces when I was doing a lot of computer work where I didn’t have a window and I just think that’s really not good.” I ask her why that’s not good and she responds “just because I think in Seattle, well we don’t get very much light to begin with and I think when its out and you don’t get to see it, if you’re not even working near it— because you just feel like you’re in a cave already in Seattle, you really do. And this first year I’ve really felt that, just how dreary it’s been but I’m so thankful that I have windows and that I get lots of light.”

Ms. Boyd has been working as a full time artist for about 7 months and she tells me that when she worked in the tech industry, she was in a cubicle. I ask her to tell me about any differences and she says “a definite one is that I am on my own schedule.” She says it’s a change of lifestyle and that there are good and bad things about being your own boss but that it’s really nice to manage your own schedule and goals.

I ask Tracy Boyd if she always loved painting and she says “I always have. Since I was a little little kid I remember drawing portraits of my friends in second and third grade. My dad has a bunch of my old paintings and sketches everywhere. I think there was a point when I was graduating high school, I wanted to go to art school but instead I went to design school because it was the practical thing to do.”

I ask Ms. Boyd about her painting. She says “my work is extremely emotional and a reflection of what’s going in the world, a sarcastic reflection of what’s going on in the world. I’ve also been told my work is kind of, the way I paint it’s almost like I’m keeping a distance from the viewer but I’m getting the attention of the viewer.” “I’m fascinated by obviously faces and emotions and the insanity of the world.” “I just paint what comes out.”