Meet Tracie Noles-Ross
Describe your creative process.
I have come to realize that I am as much a storyteller and storycatcher as I am a maker. I am particularly drawn to ghost stories and folk tales. I also glean discarded, broken and forgotten objects from the piece of land I call home and make a lot of mixed media and assemblage pieces from those treasures to help me share my stories.
Describe your piece in the exhibition and its connection to the theme.
My piece for the Nests show is called Little Chickadee. The nest is made from vines cleared from the woods behind my studio and embroidery floss scraps from my sewing room ort jar. I started to make an empty nest because I have recently become an empty nester but I decided to put the heart and the chickadee in the middle of my nest because chickadees are feisty, resourceful, and resilient— something I aspire to be at this stage of my life when I am dealing with a lot of change and transformation. A chickadee was also the first bird to come to the feeder I hung at my studio when I moved in so it seemed fitting.
What is something you could happily look at every day for the rest of your life?
Something I could look at every day for the rest of my life!? Hmm. My children’s faces, my dog’s sweet eyes and the sky. I am a cloud watcher and a star gazer.
What is your favorite tool?
My favorite tool. Do I have to choose just one? Does my imagination count? I guess I’d have to say pencil and paper. Everything starts there for me.
