Artist Statement
Tracey Coverley is a fulltime artist based in Whaley Bridge on the edge of the Peak District. Trained in the 80’s at Loughborough College of Art, she studied Fine Art and specialised in painting. However, after quitting a long career on the railway to pursue her passion of creating, Tracey took an alternative path and is now working with textiles as her preferred medium.
Self-taught in this field, Tracey has spent the last five years exploring various techniques and often unwittingly breaks with convention to develop her own visual language.
She predominantly produces textile portraiture; her subject matter often derives from classic cinema and pop culture. Being a lifelong fan of British cinema has influenced her approach causing her to focus on tonal variation above colour. Limiting her palette leads to largely monochrome works reflecting the drama of black and white cinema and press photography.
Using many different techniques with simple tools, Tracey manipulates layers of fabric to produce her pieces. All work starts with a pile of selected fabrics selected not only for their tonal quality but also for their textural value too. Many of the effects achieved are down to how the light plays across the different materials.Using a combination of fibres in each piece increases the vocabulary of line achieved through stitching, slicing and ripping, note that mark making is solely created with fabric and thread.Inks, dyes or paint are rarely used in Tracey's work and when used, it is minimal to plot out her composition and is never intended to play any part in the image created. Any 'drawing' is done freehand with thread on a domestic sewing machine, combining a rough technique similar to reverse applique by cutting away layers whilst building up lines of thread.
Tracey’s work is often misinterpreted as drawn or printed works therefore, it needs to be viewed in the flesh to realise the textural and sculptural qualities achieved within a ‘flat’ plane.
Tracey works and exhibits from her home however, her work can also be seen in 'The Gallery in the Gardens' located in the historic Pavilion Gardens in Buxton and 'The Artful Pigeon' on Glossop High Street.
A proud member of S.E.W. (Society for Embroidered Work) because ‘Stitched Art is Art’
