Tracy Lynn Pristas
Artist Statement
Tracy Lynn Pristas has maintained her studio along the Ravenswood Industrial corridor, on the north side of Chicago for over 11 years. In addition to being a painter, Pristas is also a certified yoga instructor and certified Reiki practitioner. The influence of these two practices contribute to the tranquility felt in her paintings.
What gives Pristas's work its edge is the way that she searches for her images directly within the paint itself. Pristas does not do any preliminary sketches, she prefers to trust in the magic of the intuitive process. What she does plan is her color palette which is limited, keeping the colors in the same family results in a harmonious painting. She mixes all of her colors by hand to create unique subtle tones and values. Notice all of the layers of paint, she has developed her own surface manipulation techniques to create this remarkable style. This exceptional combination of multiple layers of colors, and surface - manipulation techniques used to build textures, creates a sense of space that whisper landscape. It was the texture, on one of her large scale paintings, Majestic Whisper, that caught the eye of Hollywood set designer, Dan Clancy. After visiting her studio, he choose several paintings for the Universal Studios blockbuster, "The Break -Up" starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. Pristas was later interviewed by Mai Martinez and appeared on CBS Channel 2 Chicago News. She was also featured in Chicago Magazine and The Pittsburgh Tribune.
Pristas is influenced by nature in its abstracted form. While some of her landscapes may remind the viewer of a particular place, what excites her is establishing a mood. According to Eastern philosophy the painted landscape is spiritually restorative even when actual visits to nature are impossible. Today it is becoming increasingly difficult for the urban public to connect with the sacred realm of nature to find psychological comfort. It is her intent that these abstract paintings can act as sanctuaries for the urban public reminding the viewer to respect and care for the environment and to observe each marvelous moment.
