Tracy DeCamp

Tracy DeCamp celebrates her individuality and embraces solitude. “When I was a young girl living in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas, I was always out in nature,” she says. “I had friends, but enjoyed being alone. Whenever I was in my bedroom, I would be drawing.” Tracy’s creativity was further nurtured by her father. “He was best friends with Wasyl Palijczuk,” she says. “Wasyl was a talented artist and the Art Dean at Maryland Institute.” Intent on nourishing his daughter’s proclivity for art, Tracy’s father placed her in Saturday art classes at the local community college. She would go on to study art and fashion design at Virginia Commonwealth University after graduating high school. Stimulated by nature and vibrant colors, Tracy describes her art as ‘stylized realism’. “It’s realistic but not,” she says. “I can put my smoothed brighter colors into a realistic format; colorful, free, and organic.” While she draws inspiration from masters like Renoir and Rousseau, perhaps most of Tracy’s incentive comes from female artists like Georgia O’Keefe. “Georgia was a master with flowers, bones, driftwood, and clouds, similar subject matter to what I enjoy painting,” she says. Two years ago, during her travels from Washington State to St. Augustine, Tracy visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “It was amazing to see her original work and artifacts from her life,” she says. That same trip was the beginning of Tracy’s St. Augustine chapter. “My husband’s job brought us here,” she says. “Most of our family lives between Baltimore and Tampa, where my son was born.” Tracy’s love for the sunshine state runs deep. “Landing in St. Augustine has been a blessing,” she says. A family member of the High Tide Gallery for two years now, Tracy warmly remembers her inception. “Some friends introduced me to Sherri and Kerry when they were still on the island,” she says. “They accepted my art with open arms.” Her work spanning multiple media, Tracy draws much of her inspiration from the natural world. “I love to paint and use hand torn papers to add texture to my work,” she says. “Admittedly though, my favorite medium is to draw in pencil.” With some of her favorite subject matter being tropical birds, owls, and cats, Tracy’s work also depicts the flora from her own gardens. “When I lived in Tampa, much of my work was influenced by local wildlife,” she says. “Many of my paintings depicted alligators and birds.” Tracy’s career has included teaching art at a private school, publishing children’s books, and donating countless volunteer hours. She has her work displayed in Marathon, Florida’s Natural History Museum, and after only two years back in the sunshine state, she was recently awarded second place in St. Augustine Art Association’s Fantastic Florida show. Tracy reflects graciously on her achievements and focuses intently on her future. “I am so grateful for the people and situations that have allowed me to share my work with the world,” she says. “Going forward, I wish to spend more time exploring nature and making things that put my soul at ease. I long to create the work that naturally desires to flow out of me.”