Floral Sculpture Artist: Tracey Deep

There aren’t too many people walking the earth who can come close to replicating the beauty of mother nature, yet Sydney artist Tracey Deep has spent the last decade producing just that.

Tracey’s ‘living art’ sculptures can best be described as a harmonious creation of the natural world and the human eye. Her ability to revive dried and forgotten earthen remnants into tactile works of captivating proportions has seen her feature across the globe in numerous luxury resorts, restaurants and galleries.

Earlier this month we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet with Tracey at her Sydney studio. Aesthetically, exploring her sculptural studio was an unforgettable experience, but the discovery of her innate connection with the natural world was wildly inspiring.

When approaching your own styling be it for a wedding, event or other such occasion, one of the key takeaways you learn from viewing Tracey’s body of work is the art of intentional imperfection. Look beyond the status quo when it comes to your styling materials, be inspired by natures remnants and find interesting textures and silhouettes to incorporate into a single feature piece.

(image by Nicholas Watt for Tracey Deep)

Tell us your story, what has brought you to where you are today?

My passion for working with nature, my love for art has been the inspiration behind where I am today.

Mother nature is my teacher, creating floralsculpture installations over decades has been the most inspiring tool in training my eye to assemble unique forms, patterns, shapes & tones together to create “living art”.

This evolved over time to take me on another path of sculpture & installation work, using found objects & organic material, I transform these materials into something new, deconstructing & reconstructing, a play on light & shade, repetition of material, whimsical & playful, all from natures patterns,textures & tones.

There is a strong prevalence of texture displayed throughout your work. Would you say the texture and tactile traits of an object is what draws you in and if so why?

Texture is of most importance to me, as it creates character , it’s the star of the story of the piece. As the textural piece is worked on & evolves a sense of depth , a mysterious journey unfolds before my eyes. So as I work towards the completed work , the texture seems to draw you in  & plays on your senses.

Describe your creative thought process when foraging for inspiration in the natural environment.

I love immersing myself in nature through walks in parks, gardens, by the sea, where ever there is nature my eyes are drawn in & my senses are being stimulated, a totally euphoric experience. I’m naturally studying patterns, shapes & textures, soaking in the whimsical shadows, the playful shapes , lush textures & inspiring earthly tones. All this is seeping deep into my being & can shine through my works immediately or transpire over time.

To what extent do you plan your works? Do you begin with an end design in mind or work more intuitively?

I like to keep everything as free & flowing as possible when creating works. Usually the material will inspire the work , once the piece has been started , I start visualising as the piece evolves & keep it all very playful until the piece starts to create a shape & soon after a shapes is evolving I envision how the piece will be completed & play with options for installation.

How do you know when a piece is complete?

The completion of a piece is all about the feeling your getting from the work, its always this strong sense that the work has evolved to a point where it seems to exude an energy that radiates & that is a very joyous moment, to know that this is a completed piece.

You exhibit annually, how long in advance do you start preparing for your exhibition?

I exhibit at Saint Cloche Gallery in Paddington,  usually in May every year, so throughout the year I’m working towards an exhibition. Some works takes weeks & some take months, so I’m always creating works, that’s my happy place.

How many hours (on average) would go into producing one of your sculptures?

Some works can take months to make depending on how layered & detailed the work is. There may be numerous processes to make a work, they all take time & demand a more labour intensive journey to completion. Also with commission works they may need to be a certain length & size, so that will determine how long a piece may take.

Finally, where can we view your work or contact you for more information?

My works can be found in luxury resorts & hotels including Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort (blue mountains), Sails in the Desert resort (uluru). International & local restaurants & bars such as Dubai Opera Restaurant , Aria Restaurant (Circular Quay) , Quay Restaurant (Circular Quay)  and The Dolphin Hotel (Surry Hills) to name a few.

Works in collections can be found at NGV international gallery (Melbourne), Macquarie Bank.

Clients seem to find me through word of mouth, the old school way which I love the most. However my Instagram @floralsculptures seem to attract many like minded souls who appreciate my works inspired by “mother nature”.

View more of Tracey’s work via her Instagram profile.

For commission enquiries please click here.