Long Blue Straw – Page 4 – Illustrations by Tracy Hetzel

Social Media and Me

October 26, 2015

As an artist, I don’t have the luxury of a dedicated marketing team… so, enter social media. It’s the perfect and simple way to get my art out there and seen. Today we are experiencing the world in a completely different way than anything before. It’s all at our finger tips, literally… and, you know what? I want to be a part of it.

Thanks to social media, not only do I have the ability to show my work to thousands of people (I actually have more followers on Instagram than the entire population of my hometown) but I get to create something that makes people happy, sad, angry, or whatever… just sparking an emotion, even if it’s for a split second. I paint things that altered my way of thinking and tug at my sensibilities. And sharing this with people and having them respond with a “like” is a new age conversation. And in the time of fractured attention spans I enjoy altering someones thinking as my image flies by their screen. And when someone takes the time to leave me a comment, well… I know I’ve evoked a response, and that’s pretty amazing. Something I created has had an impact on someone else.

What social media do I use? Well, Instagram is my go to. Then facebook and pintrest. Of course my blog, www.longbluestraw.com where I do, on occasion, bloviate about my art. But, I do have to admit… I’m on instagram all the time! I constantly “check-in” with the artists I follow. I love to see what they are creating, what they are up to, what others are saying about their art. And I love to discover new artists and become part of their community. It’s like having a conversation without actually speaking.

If it wasn’t for social media, I wouldn’t have discovered a lot of new art, seen places I’ve never been, entered contests I would have never knew existed, been contacted by people who have hired me. And most importantly, I’m able to justified myself as an artist. You can just pull up my instagram portfolio and, boom!… Look at all that… Artist!

But the best part about social media for me is that I now have lots of new friendships with other artists from all over the world. Connections that I would have never made before, and that’s pretty cool.

instagram: @tracyhetzel
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tracy.hetzel.art
pintrest

www.longbluestraw.com

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4 White Mice

October 19, 2015

watercolor illustration of mice by tracy hetzel

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Paris Fashion Week

October 12, 2015

My illustration was spotted at Paris Fashion Week! Can you stand it?!? I’ve gone international!
Coming up soon, I’ll be partnering with Face Factory Paris, on one-of-a-kind t-shirts. Your face, painted by me, on a t-shirt. Stay tuned…

Top Photo by L’Officiel Italia on Twitter.

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Morning Skulk

September 14, 2015

morning skulk by tracy hetzel

I couldn’t be more excited and thrilled to announce that my painting “Morning Skulk” has been selected as one of 36 works to be exhibited at The New York Coffee Festival 2015. If you’re in NYC Sept 25-27, stop on by, have a cup of joe or an espresso martini and check out my painting in person! Yay me!

My submission had to of course have a coffee theme. So I decided to depict my relationship with coffee… My morning routine. I’m up before the crack of dawn. Groggy-eyed, I wake the kids and skulk into the kitchen to start the coffee. My first cup is downed in a frenzy. Make breakfast, nudge my husband and wake my daughter for a second time. My dutiful son is already in the shower. Locate and iron their school clothes for the day, make their lunches. Wake my daughter a third time. Bark orders: Eat your fruit; Don’t forget your homework; Please stop arguing; Don’t forget you have hockey today. I fill my husbands go cup, kiss them and rush them out the door. My coffee cup is empty but I don’t remember drinking it. In the now peaceful house I pour my second cup. This is the one I savor. A minute to myself before I start my day.

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 $439,000 and delivered clean water to over 11,000 people in Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia in partnership with WaterAid and Charity: Water.

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