Interviews
Traci Findley
Traci Findley is an eclectic artist who has been creating unique paintings in Lee’s Summit, Missouri for many years. She specializes in portraits with spiritual overtones. The media she works with is a vibrant blend of acrylic and pastel chalk on gallery linen stretched canvas. She has participated in many art shows in the Missouri area to include: First Friday Crossroads galleries in Kansas City’s thriving Art District, the Kansas City Art’s Council, the Pop Up Gallery and countless others. Traci’s art was displayed in the Neosho Art Council’s 10 th Anniversary “Thomas Heart Benton”Art Exhibition in November 2020. She also displayed in the Springfield, Missouri “Pure
Enjoyment” Art Exhibit for which she had the honor of winning “People’s Choice” for her work titled “Grateful.”
Traci has an English degree from Rockhurst University, with a Writing Emphasis. While at Rockhurst University she won the “Charle’s Kovich Dramatist Award” in playwriting for a work she submitted. She has been a freelance writer in her spare time for various magazines and has also contributed as a book reviewer. She is married to Richard, her high school sweetheart for over twenty years. Their only child, Riley is an aspiring opera singer at the Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana. Traci and her son cowrote a play; “Text ME” that premiered in 2014 at Rockhurst University. Traci Findley’s artistic philosophy is simple: Art needs to evoke emotion equal to its subject.
Artist: Traci Findley
Based in USA
Instagram: @artworkbytracifindley
Culturally features:
"Head and Sentiment: Dreams of an Artist", May 29-July 30 2021, Milostka Center for Exhibitions
What do you aim to say by the themes in your work?
I suppose I am a glass half full type of person. I am an optimist. We live in a complicated
world, but I choose to focus on the positive.
Where does your inspiration come from?
My inspiration comes from everything around me; a song I might hear. A quote I might
read. A photograph, such as this collection did. It is difficult to pinpoint sometimes.
When certain creative ideas are there, it’s the one’s that yell the loudest to me, that’s
when I know I need to see something through.
How would you describe your creative process?
I will have certain ideas in my head, as I previously just stated. When I can pin them
down mentally, know exactly what I wish to create or convey, this urge becomes so
strong, that I must express it. That is when I am ready to sit down in front of a canvas.
What is integral to your work as an artist?
Mediating is important, before I begin. I must be alone. No distractions. It may sound
strange, but sometimes I speak to my subject.
Do you have any experiences that have impacted your art?
Yes, most definitely. I have been heavily influenced by my father. He is a gifted artist and
his father was an artist… . It is in the DNA so to speak. I am always learning from other
artists. Always.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
My advice is simple. To inspire or touch the heart of your audience, it can only come
from a place of authenticity. Create something true, from your heart and you will create
a masterpiece.
