"Salvation", 2011, Photograph of Painted Bodies, 36 x 21 in. Craig Tracy's Body Painting
Stepping Beyond the Canvas
No matter what body-type Craig Tracy is painting on, it’s always an imaginative, ethereal, and definitive specimen of art - qualities that can be credited to Tracy’s unblinking passion for the distinctive art form of body painting.
New Orleans native Craig Tracy opened the doors to his distinctive Fine Art Body Painting Gallery on Royal Street in February of 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In the wake left after the storm, Tracy discovered a diamond-in-the-ruff.
“The city was still a great big mess. A lot of artists left the city. Some came back but others left permanently, so that opened up a lot of gallery space that would otherwise have been very hard to get,” Tracy said.
"Goddess", 2011, Photograph of a Painted Body, 49 x 35 in. “When you open a gallery you have no one to pay but yourself, and rent. I scraped by. If people like my work they come back the next year and if I’m still here they’ll like it again; maybe they’ll buy a piece by the third year. Worse than Katrina was the recession. People started to think about art a little bit differently, and some artists suffered, while others didn’t,” Tracy said.
Born into a working-class family, Tracy’s options for formal art training were limited after high school. However, with the help of a guidance counselor, Tracy was given an opportunity to attend the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he graduated with honors.
“My family had no money, we didn’t own a home; no credit card. So my guidance counselor said ‘If I can get you to art school will you go?’ And I said yes. Art school changed my life,” Tracy said.
Tracy’s art starts with a meticulously crafted design painted onto the body of a model. Backgrounds are sometimes used, and very rarely is there any digital warping of the artwork. The model is then photographed and the picture hung in Tracy’s Royal Street gallery.
"Bleu", 2009, Photograph of a Painted Body, 36 x 23 in.The artist chooses his models based on shape. Curves are needed for certain pieces, while straighter figures are used for others. Tracy points out specific paintings throughout his gallery depicting varying body types and ranges of motion.
“That girl is doing a back-bend in that piece. The back-bend is the ge-nesis of the design of that piece. I based that whole design on that back-bend… not everyone can do that back-bend,” Tracy points out.
“I don’t work with one particular shape either. I do, however, like curves. When a body is straight there’s less inspiration. But sometimes that works out perfectly for me depending on what I’m working on.”
Along with specific body shapes, theme is also a deciding factor in Tra-cy’s art, which can take up to an entire day to complete. He notes precise elements apparent throughout his body paintings, such as contrast versus harmony, and beauty versus mystery. One of Tracy’s most poign-ant representations of these themes is a piece entitled “Speed,” in which a body is painted with a white-base coat, while the emerging body of a cheetah is depicted running in the opposite direction of the model’s torso. Shape and color contrasts are also prevalent in Tracy’s works.
"Sunshine", 2010, Photograph of a Painted Body, 18 x 15 in.“I take things that don’t belong together and I make them comfortable. I’m not interested in scaring anyone, and I’m not interested in gore or anything that’s aesthetically unpleasing. I’m interested in things that are aesthetically pleasing and offer mystery. I allow my inspiration to come to me from everywhere. I can be inspired by something as simple as the design of a rug. I take that concept or pattern and place it on a human being,” Tracy said.
One of Tracy’s biggest sources of inspiration comes from his body paintings of newborns. Whether it’s a chubby, pink face or tiny feet that Tracy turns into an infant canvas, the paintings are ephemeral, yet delicately beautiful.
“Painting on babies is an amazing experience; I’m so challenged when painting a baby. You realize that you’re not in control of anything. It’s so mind-blowing, but so worthwhile, even when your original idea for the painting fails.”
Tracy has painted six newborns thus far in his career. “Every time I paint a newborn I feel this amazing sense of privilege. It is precious and very special. It communicates in a way that we hope that art communicates. People feel these pieces severely and that’s really nice.”
No matter what body-type Craig Tracy is painting on, it’s always an imaginative, ethereal, and definitive specimen of art - qualities that can be credited to Tracy’s unblinking passion for the distinctive art form of body painting.
“It really clicked, from the very first time that I painted a face, it was strangely powerful. I later realized that I had quite literally fallen in love with body painting. It did however take me years to properly process and respect such an uncharted and ancient art form.”
