Tracy Hall: MEDITATION

2021 Artist-in-Residence at Montana Natural History Center

How was your experience as an Open AIR Artist-in-Residence?

I really enjoyed learning what it means to go through a residency process! It was a new type of art making experience for me to complete projects inspired by the space, sharing my work with the other artists and with the public. The MT Natural History Center is a great community space and I felt lucky to spend some time working with their collection.

What was your research process during this time?

When I'm working on a new project I tend to spend some time wandering around the public library, finding reading material and coffee table books as drawing references. For this residency, I ended up gravitating to a few books on scientific illustration and books on artists who inspire me, including Louise Bourgeois and some female surrealists.
I ended up learning a lot about what goes into taxidermy and scientific illustration, partly through personal research and partly through exploring the Natural History Center and its resources.

What are you up to now (post Open AIR)?

I started working as a youth program facilitator with Missoula Parks and Recreation recently. Other than that, I've been spending time working on some art commissions, winter hiking, spending time with family, meditating on what direction I might want to take with my artwork, and experimenting with some acrylic painting.

What keeps you returning to this subject, body of work?

I think the work provides me with a sense of ritual and closure. It often deals with issues of reconciliation with death and observation of beauty in the time available. It also is a grounding process for me to draw things in detail. Ultimately I find the experience of making a valuable meditation.

“The Same Embrace Being Torn”

Do you create any work specifically for social media?

I do enjoy the social aspect of sharing work online though most of my work isn't specifically for social media. I've done Inktober (a drawing challenge on Instagram) a few times, and it was motivating to have others engage with my work and see their takes on the prompts. I've ended up unexpectedly creating a few of my favorite sketches through the experience.

“Shame Coat”

See more of Tracy’s work on Instagram @tracylinhall