The work: Tracy-Anne, Owl in Autumn, 2022. 3D paper tole, 90 x 50cm. Courtesy: the artist.
Based in the Hunter Valley region of NSW, artist Tracy-Anne is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Australian landscape. It is from here that she draws her inspiration when creating her paper tole works, with an eye for the many and varied bird varieties that call this area home. As can be seen in her work Owl in Autumn, this familiarity is matched with a mastery of her craft. Paper tole involves building an image out from a surface using paper, moulding them into objects that sit somewhere between collage and sculpture. With over 30 years of experience, Tracy-Anne has mastered the many techniques of shaping, cutting and colouring images to transform her subjects into three-dimensional works, as well has having developed a myriad of unique approaches of her own. It is unsurprising that rendering feathers is a speciality of hers, and here we see the artist’s careful hand has built up many hundreds of tiny paper slivers to furnish the owl’s breast with deep browns and lively oranges. Though held in place with silicone, the bird’s folded wings seem almost soft to the touch and its eyes luminous behind stern brows. Tracy-Anne has captured the personality of her sitter in this work, her elaborate practice enabling her to breathe life into paper.