Simple is always best, and Tracey Keller’s mission is simply to create joy. This quirky and vivacious artist spreads smiles and good deeds from her idyllic sea-view studio perched high up in the Noosa mountains. Overflowing with life and joie-de-vivre, Tracey strives hard for meaning and impact through her art, focussing on the creative process and its power to change mindsets.
The famous ‘pet-painter’ grew up on a farm, surrounded by a wide variety of animals in all shapes and sizes. From the beginning, Tracey felt a powerful connection to them, and they would eventually come to play a significant role in her mission to create joy.
In the midst of a successful high-end corporate management career, Tracey decided that there were more impactful ways to spread positivity in the world. Picking up on a passion that had been with her since time immemorial, she launched herself as a professional artist, without actually ever having attended a single art class. She has now been a full-time artist for over seventeen years, and her passion is only building.
Her signature style is bold, vibrant and exuberant. Combining thick splashes of bright acrylic with whimsically applied hessian and resin, her works are textured and full of energy, her characters full of depth and complexity. Even her budget prints are given special treatment, as she applies the textured paints to their flat surface and imbues them with bold intricacies.
Tracey is best known for her spirited portraits of animals. Having had such a connection with them in her youth, they naturally became a huge part of her quest to spread joy. Characterised by sparkly, playful eyes and vibrant colour palettes, her comic and endearing portraits resonate within each of us. She most famously does commission portraits of your very own darlings!
As is often the case, great challenge and difficulty led to significant change and forward momentum in Tracey’s life. Having gone under the knife for a major operation during which her leg was removed and re-built, she was unable to walk for over three months.
This also meant she was unable to paint. While fear and negativity very much rose the surface, Tracey put her mind to creating something new and beautiful. Attending the open university of YouTube tutorials, she taught herself the art of bronze sculpting, and today her sculptures are produced and sold alongside her signature pieces.
Central to Tracey’s creative ethos are the concepts of art, healing and intention. Tracey creates to create joy, and her effervescent paintings are an explicit celebration of life and living.
Being a dedicated yogi, she understands how deep intentions run, as well as the impact they can have on what we put out into the world. When Tracey paints, she channels her intent from the tips of her toes to the tip of her tongue, positively vibrating with the desire to create joy. Watching people smile, she knows she has made her own little, but by no means insignificant, contribution to worldwide happiness.
Tracey’s ability to spread positivity goes well beyond intention, though, overshooting squarely into the realm of action. She’s teamed up with B1G1, a social enterprise and non-profit which helps businesses give back in meaningful, measurable and long-lasting ways.
B1G1 stands for Buy 1, Give 1. Whenever someone buys a piece from Tracey, she makes sure to give back. It might be educational support for a child, protection for the environment, meals for the hungry, and so much more! Every purchase you make has a tangible positive impact.
Through whimsically bold and joyous art, Tracey spreads smiles and positivity, as well as finding concrete ways to influence the world around her. Let her draw you into her bright and beautiful universe! Contact her for a commissioned piece or check out her artwork here: https://traceykeller.com.