Camouflage at Alfred

November 7, 2017

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

Tracy Hetzel Alfred State College

It is my distinct pleasure to be showing my art installation “Camouflage” at
Alfred State College’s Hinkle Gallery.
November 2-29th, 2017.
Beyond honored (and a little beside myself)

CAMOUFLAGE

Camouflage:  [kam-uh-flahzh] noun  Behavior or artifice designed to deceive, something (such as color or shape) that prevents attack by making the subject difficult to see in the area around it.

When my artistic journey took me from oil paint to watercolor I practiced my new medium by painting fashion illustrations. This made me question personal adornment in relation to social acceptance. Why do we dress the way we do? Why do we apply makeup? Change the color of our hair? Wear trendy items?

Perhaps it camouflages who we really are by “painting” on who we wish we could be. To be prettier, more popular, achieve a certain social status. Anyway you look at it there is a pressure to fit in and in doing so, we tend to conform to popular societal standards.

Early on, the chase for popularity is not about being internally strong, it is about looking a certain way or having the right kind of water bottle. This puts an unhealthy emphasis on superficial qualities such as body shape, skin tone, hair style or possessions and can lead girls to emphasize their physical being over their internal one. In wanting to be like the popular crowd we attempt to adapt to their style.

However, there are the few out there, the non-conformists, who dress for themselves and dance as if no one is watching. These individuals in most cases are shunned by the popular norm, called weird, odd, scowled at, and criticize for being different. But honestly, to me, these few are my heroes. With my painting I want to portray my interpretation of camouflage, using it to integrate, to disguise, to escape, to hide and ultimately portray both those who desire to be like the cool kids and those who shed their camo embracing their true colors.

 

Coffee Art Project

October 12, 2017

Update: My painting won First Place!!! Wowza!

tracy hetzel, longbluestraw, watercolor illustration

 

Existing on a lonely Sunday even though the house is filled with family. They are still asleep and will be til noon. I am the morning person. It is my “me” time, where I welcome being trapped inside myself. My thoughts start to bleed and run wild in the abandoned hallways of my mind. The coffee and cigarettes fuel my introspection. The quiet embraces me, accepts me, until the garbage truck turns down my street and brutally brings me tumbling back to reality where I notice the pile of last night’s dishes still in the sink.

I am proud to be one of 40 artists exhibiting at this year’s New York Coffee Festival. If you happen to be in NYC this weekend, October 13-15, 2017, stop on by, check out the art, and have yourself a cup of joe.

The Coffee art Project supports Project Waterfall, which is committed to bringing clean water to communities which grow our coffee through the Allegra Foundation and other registered charities.

So far, Project Waterfall, has raised more than £520,000 and delivered clean water to over 20,000 people in Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Nicaragua in partnership with WaterAid, Charity: Water and Water for People.

The Coffee art Project is a non-profit initiative aimed at encouraging artists by providing them with an open platform to showcase their works.

They are funded by donations, sponsorship and art sales. All works are for sale in the exhibition(s) and on the Coffee art Project on-line gallery. For each artwork sold, 50% will be donated to Project Waterfall.

In Repair

June 23, 2017

butterfly, in repair, watercolor, tracy hetzel, illustration, broken, broken heart, broken wing

“Today my forest is dark. The trees are sad and all the butterflies have broken wings.” —Raine Cooper

butterfly, in repair, watercolor, tracy hetzel, illustration, broken, broken heart, broken wing

In Repair

butterfly, in repair, watercolor, tracy hetzel, illustration, broken, broken heart, broken wing

“When I can’t fly, I start to fall, but I’ve got wheels, I’m rolling on.” —Miranda Lambert

butterfly, in repair, watercolor, tracy hetzel, illustration, broken, broken heart, broken wing

“The purpose is hidden within your wounds.” —Rune Lazuli

“Then one day I realized I had scars the shape of wings.” —S.C. Lourie

butterfly, in repair, watercolor, tracy hetzel, illustration, broken, broken heart, broken wing

“The moment between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life takes place.” —Unknown

Watercoloring Pages

January 18, 2017

DIY watercoloring pages by tracy hetzelwatercolor pages

A friend a while back once said to me that if I made a coloring book, she would buy it. Well, I’ll do you one better… Introducing Long Blue Straw’s own Watercoloring Pages. I did the drawing, now you do all the fun.

Sold as a kit: Package includes 8 individual sheets each with a separate drawing, all printed on Arches Natural White 90 lb (185 gsm) watercolor paper; Scholastic Short Handle Red Sable Round Brushes (sizes 4, 2, 3/0); and Winsor & Newton Cotman Watercolor Pan Set (12 colors.) All to get you started on your own watercolor journey. Click Here! for the kit.

Or  Click Here! for just the pages. My first series, so excited.

Hoping these will be a success so I can have an excuse to do more. (wink, wink)

The Great Wellsville Balloon Rally

July 27, 2016

the great wellsville balloon rally

the great wellsville balloon rally

the great wellsville balloon rally

tracy hetzel artist

What a wonderful weekend! This year, I had the honor of being the The Great Wellsville Balloon Rally artist. It was an unforgettable experience. I loved walking around my hometown, seeing my art everywhere, (on posters, t-shirts, the balloon rally truck) having people stop me and tell me it’s the best poster they’ve seen in a while… I felt a little like a celebrity. My 15 minutes of small town fame was so much fun and it’s a weekend I will always hold close to my heart.

Strolling around town, I was able to stop in at all my favorite shops and, in my own way, help the local economy. I got to enjoy all the flavors of Wellsville that I miss so dearly and see family and friends, new and old. I had that warm fuzzy feeling of nostalgia and got to share it with the ones I love… Elvis and his dog even made an appearance. I have to say, my hometown never looked better.

texas hot, elvis

art center cafe wellsville ny

the great wellsville balloon rally

the great wellsville balloon rally

My children, after many years of attending this event, finally got to experience a hot air balloon ride. If you’ve never been, there is nothing quite like it. They flew low, dipped the basket in the river, floated over the pink house and it’s surrounding neighborhood and eventually landed, funny enough, in the McDonald’s drive thru. Breakfast anyone? With all their cousins chasing the balloon, yelling and waving to them. I’m sure it’s something they will never forget.

I did have to drag three teenagers out of bed at 5:30am. But they promise me it was well worth it.

the great wellsville balloon rally

the great wellsville balloon rally

wellsville ny pink house

The culmination of such a wonderful weekend was made even more memorable by a surprise 50th Anniversary Party for my parents. With all their children and their children’s children, and a few surprise out of town relatives, everyone I’m related to was actually under one roof. Food, drink and cake was enjoyed over toasts and a tearjerker video compilation of their lives to date. It was absolutely perfect.

We Hetzel’s may be a small, but we are mighty! Watch out world, the next generation is upon you.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad.

hetzel family

cake2

Kendall

June 28, 2016

kendall jenner by tracy hetzel

I have been so busy lately, so busy—but that’s good, right? I honestly can’t believe it’s almost July! Where does the time go? Maybe I should start planning for Christmas before that sneaks up on me too (he he)… Anyway, back to art… I just love the colors in this illustration of the ever popular Kendall Jenner that I did for Face Factory Paris. And, I  have video! Time-lapse of the making of Kendall is on my YouTube Channel. Check it out here!

Making Lemonade

May 13, 2016

lemon watercolor by tracy hetzel

When life hands you lemons… Make a new website.

I went to update my blog yesterday and it, well, kind of imploded. Argh! Not what I wanted to deal with on a Thursday. But it gave me the opportunity to revisit the old and make it new again. So, my site has a new, beautiful, streamlined look. New mail chimp integration. A new contact form. It’s pretty. it’s simple. I like it… Voila! Lemonade.

fashion illustration by tracy hetzel