Meet the Artist: Tracy Beattie

“For as long as I can remember, I loved to draw, paint and create. I grew up in the countryside amongst green fields, rolling hills and winding rivers. We lived quite far from the sea, so a trip to the beach was a huge treat. Our week huddled up in a caravan by the sea each summer was the highlight of my year; it was better than Christmas. Instead of growing out of my love of art, it became stronger and stronger, and always my inspiration seemed to come from nature. When I was all grown up (technically!), my husband & I moved to the North Coast in Northern Ireland & started our family; my childhood self would have been beside herself with glee, I know this because my adult self certainly is. Each time I walk in the countryside or along the beach, it's like seeing it for the very first time. I love all times of day and night, all the seasons; they each have their own unique charm. Not surprisingly this has influenced my artwork hugely. Over the years I have fallen in love with naïve and whimsical styled art. It's seeming simplicity can reflect and evoke the nostalgic, joyful and happy times that make up the best parts in the canvas of our lives. I love to bring all these passions together to create pieces that capture the joy, fun and whimsical nature of a simple life by the sea. Several years ago, after noticing some pieces of sea pottery along a local beach, inspiration suddenly hit me while lying in bed that night - I was going to use the pieces mounted on driftwood to create art. An obsession was born; I began to collect anything washed up by the sea that I could use. I love the idea of how each piece once had a life as something else; I'll never know quite what, how long ago or even where, but the sea took something discarded with its broken, jagged edges, and moulded and shaped it into something beautiful. With these pieces, I create Art which gives a second life to forgotten treasures...”