Spotlight: The Tracy Piper, MobileCoin Artist in Residence

Meet The Tracy Piper, our MobileCoin Art Resident inspiring change with her hyper-pigmented paintings and murals.

Q: Who is The Tracy Piper in a nutshell?

A: I am a female-identifying fine artist that believes that art has the power to change the world. I am best known for my paintings, murals, and communitybuilding initiatives.

Q: What’s the inspiration for your art?

A: I was born and raised in Oakland, CA, and that experience has always left an impression on me to speak up and stand out. The impact of making truly inclusive work that challenges the status quo has always driven me. As artists, we should shine a light on the dark corners of the world and do it with style. I try and create work that grabs your attention with its colors and then makes you stay awhile when you dig into what the piece is really about.

Q: How would you describe your artistic style?

A: Vibrant rainbow-hued social conscious paintings in a magical abstract-realist style.

Q: How did you cultivate your current style?

A: In college, I was playing around with a lot of painting styles. When I finally got to my thesis I knew I wanted to stand out from the crowd, so I landed on this hyper-pigmented celebration of painting that I’m known for now. I like when you can see the paint be paint, and at the same time, see a face or a hand emerge from the chaos.

Q: How does privacy play into how you develop and share your art?

A: A lot of times I can’t share what I am currently working on because it either has a ‘release’ schedule to hype the show, or it’s a commission that is a surprise for someone. This cycle of secret work is fun and can create a sense of anticipation. Most people only see the tip of the iceberg of work that goes into being an artist, but maybe that’s a good thing, because mostly it’s washing brushes and answering emails!

Q: What change are you hoping your art will have on the world?

A: I hope to inspire others to speak up and stand up for the change they want to see in the world. Each of my initiatives are about something I want to see differently. My paintings are a way to encourage others to believe in that change too. And these initiatives can run the gamut, from raising $20k+ for good causes, re-investing into the arts community, and/or the simple act of a person seeing themselves represented in media. The impact of any of these things is immeasurable but it is in the doing of these things that we get the ball rolling.

Q: Any last thoughts?

A: I’ve got a book coming out in August! It’s my first book and I’m so excited to share it with the world. ‘WORTHY’ focuses on my work from 2018–2020; this was when I came back to art after taking a two-year hiatus to raise my son, and I am particularly proud of it. The beautiful book is $45 and available through Voss Gallery in SF.

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You can find Tracy’s art on instagram / twitter / facebook / website, and on our MobileCoin Radio show Fridays at 1pm PST (Los Angeles) / 9pm BST (London).

For more info on the MobileCoin Art Residence, click here.