About

    Tracy Schwartz is a wildlife artist based in eastern Wisconsin. In her youth, a school principal noticed her natural drawing abilities and introduced her to the National Junior Duck Stamp Contest, which she entered for the following 4 years, placing each year, eventually with a First. In her teens she went on to receive recognition through the Scholastic National Art & Writing Awards. This early exposure to the larger art world provided a framework that consistently whispered that a career in fine art was possible. 

     After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Recreation Leadership & Management from Northern Michigan University in 2013, Tracy spent the following 12 years beautifully entangled in the landscapes, light, and wildlife of the western United States. Living first in Utah, working at Arches National Park for a season, she then moved to Colorado, where she inevitably reconnected with her greatest passion - art. Always drawn to nature from a young age, these early adult years were filled with days and nights spent in the backcountry, calling the mountains, rivers, and canyons home, and sharing space with their wild inhabitants. Photos, memories, and sketches from these adventures became, and continue to be, her biggest artistic inspirations, along with raising awareness for the protection of wilderness and wildlife for generations to come. 

     Working primarily in pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache on aquabord, Tracy uses drawing, her favorite form of art, to serve as a strong foundation for each finished piece. Emboldened by the grand wildlife scenes painted by fellow Wisconsinite Tom Uttech, her work is both representational and whimsical at times, as some pieces land more in the realm of reality than others. 

     Tracy’s work is currently represented by Oh Be Joyful Gallery in Crested Butte, Colorado.

 

Artist Statement

“Where there is wildlife, and a beautiful landscape, that is where you’ll find me. I’ve called the West home since 2013, learning, exploring, soaking it all in. It’s different than home, Wisconsin. It’s more grand, more alive, and in that I find constant inspiration. Whether I’m hiking a mountain, watching a moose through a crack in my tent, or feeling the sun leave my face as it fades with another spectacular sunset, beauty is everywhere. The job of my art is to convey those feelings of beauty with people who weren’t there, because I will never take for granted that I was lucky enough to see it for myself, nor the fact that the places and animals I enjoy so very much may not be there one day.”