Wild mustang collection therapeutic for photographer Tracie Spence
Tracie Spence has never had horses, yet her latest collection of photographs of wild mustangs is about to open in Bozeman. The horses, she said, speak to her spiritually.
“That’s why I keep going back,” she said.
“Grace Under Pressure” will be at the Old Main Gallery for the month of February, with an opening reception Friday. The collection has 39 images of horses captured on North Carolina’s Outer Banks in late 2017, its ocean waters still muddy from Hurricane Irma. Fourteen of the large-format photographs will be on display, each with an accompanying quote to lend a narrative to the name.
Stylistically, Big Sky-based photographer Spence leans toward negative space and unconventional framing to draw the viewer into the eyes of her subjects. In each, she attempts to capture emotion and the spirit of the horse. Horses in “Blessings” are nuzzling, showing their love for each other. In “To Become,” a 2-day-old colt lies next to its mother, a promise of life yet to be lived.
One photograph, “Grace,” is Spence’s perfect representation of the life the wild horses endure, swimming from island to island, constantly eating salty sea grass and attempting to avoid predators like bull sharks and crocodiles. The image is of an older horse, his back sagging and rib and hip bones visible.
“I have even more compassion for these animals because of the harsh environment,” Spence said.
Photographing wild horses takes patience. With the animals almost always grazing, Spence spent most of her time observing between moments of action — a pair racing across the dunes or a mustang taking to the water.
After a shoot, Spence will put the work away until she is both physically and mentally prepared to weed through the thousands of images in roughly a week of sitting at a computer. When she opens them, Spence feels like a kid at Christmas.
Spence spent more than a decade as a fashion, food and advertising photographer, a second career built after giving up psychotherapy to start a family. A traumatic brain injury after a skiing accident in December 2010 led her to years of recovery in which she had to regain vision and balance while dealing with the constant threat of re-concussing. Photographing what she calls “spiritual” subjects, like the mustangs and a collection of ghost trees, started as a form of therapy. Then it turned into more.
“This is my joy,” she said.
Spence would like to photograph other animals she feels connected to, like wolves and ravens. She also wants to experience how horses live around the globe, such as Iceland or Sable Island.
“I said a year ago I have only four or five more wild horse shoots in my career,” Spence said. “I don’t know if that’s true anymore.”
Rachel Hergett is the editor of Ruckus, the arts and culture publication of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. She can be reached at rhergett@dailychronicle.com or (406) 582-2603.
Thinking is learning all over again how to see, directing one’s consciousness, making of every image a privileged place
- Albert Camus
Little exercises trying to develop a deeper appreciation for light/contrast/form/scale/depth/etc… oh this is not as easy as photography for me;) At least my kids had fun! It was my first charcol exercise and i was really happy how it turned out… for a novice that is!!!
A beautiful 48x72 Strength from the Ghost Trees Series graces this amazing home. The frame is a hand made reclaimed wood that was from a barn in Pennsylvania that was over 100 years old! The design team that placed this beauty is Envi Design - a fantastic group of interior creatives that are always a blast to work with. To view the entire project in Luxe click here.
I’m so excited to release my new series Grace Under Pressure. Grace
Under Pressure is a hauntingly beautiful visual narrative of the only remaining
Spanish Wild Mustangs in the world. These wild horses have roamed the region of
the Outer Banks in North Carolina for over 500 years and they manage to survive
under extremely harsh and unstable living conditions. My vision for this show was to produce unforgettable large format photography revealing the mustangs
power and strength, combined with their unfailing beauty and grace. I’ve marrying each photograph with a profound
quote from select scholars, theologians, scientists, and artists, I wanted to strike deep reflection to create a storyline of truth and wisdom within each
image. This exhibition brings the viewer a poetic and photographic exploration of the
Spanish Mustangs.
I was Christmas Shopping and I pleasantly and unexpectedly found my work in this amazing Design Book! I have to say, it’s packed with stunning interior designs that will make you drool in delight. The photos are by Audrey Hall who does incredible work! My husband had the pleasure of meeting her on a job however I have not yet, but we are both fans!!! This was so exciting find for me because I love each piece I create so much - I feel like they are an extension of me, created out of love, depths of introspection, sweat, and sometimes even tears. I pour myself into my creations where some would say it’s unhealthy at times. And I agree. But what artist doesn’t? That’s another blog in itself for another time. And that’s why it’s so exciting when I get to actually see where my pieces end up. It’s even better when I get to meet my collectors and get to know them and their story. That’s really why I love doing what I do… it’s the process and the story of the piece, even more than the piece itself.
Old Main Gallery had a Juried Exhibition for a “Moment In Time” and although this is a private collection piece not to be shared, I felt it was perfect for this particular exhibit. This image, taken December 1st, 2012 is so symbolic to me. It’s a treasure. My sweet babies… running down 190 in Death Valley. I called it Dream Chasers because that’s what I see when I look at this… two young amazing individuals with their entire future in front of them, endless options, vast space to explore and live life and their dreams to their fullest.
Now, the behind the ‘scenes’ story… the good stuff I love to share (and as you’ll read so does Chris.) As with every photoshoot I do with my daughters I get a bit ‘frazzeled’ since I’m solo and acting as the art director, hair/makeup/ stylist, MOM, photographer, scout tech, assistant, and digital tech (you name it, and I was it)… and we were driving to the dunes from our hotel and we were already 2 hours behind my schedule. As we were driving, Chris said “Wow that would be an amazing shot,” as he looked back in the rear view mirror looking onto the infinite highway and desert. So about 3 seconds later we were pulled over on the side of the highway, we rushed the girls out of the car (they were already grumpy) and told them to run down the highway. I think we did about 6 takes and it has become the most treasured and iconic image of my children in my entire collection. The most special part of it is their dirty little feet… and that Chris actually can say he was the art director for this shot (well, almost…!)
Here is a fun video of the moment… I miss the giggles, wonderment, and innocence of these days… if only I could have bottled it up.
And finally, for sake of going down 190 memory lane, here are a few other favorites that I love…
What a wonderful solo exhibition at Horizons meeting new collectors and friends! Thanks for letting me take over the entire gallery!!! I am thrilled to donate 10% of my sales to the wonderful organization Jackson Hole Therapeutic Riding Association Healing With Horses. It was such a special treat to have Cathy Simone, my right hand woman with my pixels come for the show!
Thanks to everyone for joining me in a great artist reception Feb 2nd at Old Main Gallery in Bozeman. And a special thanks to uber-talented singer-songwriter Paul Durham and my sweet baby girl Kylie Spence for sharing their amazing musical talents for all to enjoy. What a treat! And a special thanks to the amazing team at Old Main Gallery for putting together such a lovely evening. I will be donating 10% of my proceeds from sales to HATCH to benefit local youth interested in attending HATCH. If you dont know what HATCH is check them out by clicking on their link here HATCH. They are an amazing organization that connects scientists, artists, world leaders, visionaries, etc, on a global scale to create solution-driven think tanks and they mentor next generations through educational programs. Kylie attended their Fall 2017 Conference and her worldly view and perspectives changed. It’s an amazing organization and I’m happy to be a part of helping them help others and our world.
Thank you to all who braved the snowstorm to come out to the show! It was a great evening! I am thrilled to donate 10% of my proceeds from this show through the entire month of the exhibit to Warren Miller Performing Arts Center. They do fantastic things for arts, education, and culture to the kiddos and adults alike in the Big Sky community.
To truly appreciate art the viewer must have an understanding of scale and perspective. Because photography is two-dimensional it’s great to have an opportunity to create scale - and I think this image beautifully represents how large the trees were. This is me shooting Little Brave One. My dad came along with me during this shoot (and I’ll forever be grateful for those memories) Thanks to his overzealous nature to photograph I actually have working photos which is a rare thing for me. Thanks Dad!
Everyone loves Stay from my UNA Collection… and for good reason too… these two stallions had an undeniable emotional connection and at that instant, my breath was taken away! … It was a fleeting moment, and I’m grateful I was able to capture it!
I only have two 40x60’s available. If Stay speaks to you, don’t wait!
I was taken back by Sarah Gianelli’s words. She interviewed me for only an hour and yet she completely ‘gets’ me as an artist. I’m so grateful for her gift to put my experiences into words as poetically and authentically as she did.
I’m so excited to have 10 pieces from my Ghost Tree’s series on exhibit at Creighton Block Gallery Dec-Jan 29th. Come check it out! I will be donating 10% of my proceeds to Warren Miller Performing Arts Center throughout the entire exhibit.
“The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” – Carl Yung.
I am a curious being, I love artistic expression, I love to play, and I can’t help but be creative as my intuition builds even more creativity. I have a passion for all arts as well as deep curiosity for human nature and how the two affect each other. I was raised in Pittsburgh PA and performed with The Pittsburgh Youth Ballet through high school. It was through dance that I learned how the physical realm of human expression became intertwined into emotional experiences.
I studied psychology at Purdue University. It was at the time of practicing as a psychotherapist in my late 20’s that I got my first camera and started experimenting with photography in the dark room. After my first shoot, I realized that my true passion was still rooted in the arts and the study of how art form can evoke so much on another. I knew that in order to live authentically and honestly to myself, I must create. Trying out all forms of photography, I had won 3 Fuji Film awards within my first year of shooting. With success happening rather quickly I played with many genres within photography before deciding to settle on advertising photography for major international campaigns. All the while, I knew I would ultimately end up shooting fine art.
With twists and turns in life, a traumatic brain injury skiing halted my advertising career in a single moment and then my focus was on relearning balance, vision, memory, empathy amongst many other basic life skills most take for granted. I had lost my ability to see or think creativity as well as my ability to see or compose through the lens. Recovery was slow. In the next 3 years, I had suffered 5 more concussions and more setbacks. It took years to regain my ability to be creative and from there a whole new world opened up to me. I believe it is from these challenges, life lessons, and experiences that my purpose is now to create art that can touch others in a spiritual and emotional way. It’s all about rebirth and seeing life’s simple treasures that are all around us. It may be a ray of light shining through the beautifully shaped trees or the soul emitting through the eyes of a wild mustang. These are things I want others to see and feel through my work.
C.S. Lewis stated, “You don’t have a soul, you are a soul. You have a body.” Since being back behind the camera I only shoot what evokes my soul. I am called by my subject’s authenticity and truths in their own state of energy and rawness. My art uniquely reflects emotion, energy, and introspection and life in its most organic state. I am inspired by nature, light, shadows, lines and the emotions and perceptions we have of them.
I believe in giving back, my family and I happily spend our time, earnings, and talents to numerous organizations and charities locally and internationally. To find out more or become involved please contact me. I donate 10% of all wild mustang sales back to Return To Freedom. I live and play in Southern California with my two teenage daughters, husband, and two Doodles.
Creighton Block is located in the Big Sky Town Center in the heart of the famous resort town of Big Sky, Montana. Outside Yellowstone’s West entrance, Creighton Block has been home to award-winning, nationally known artists for 7 years.
Sean Conlon, one of my collectors, owns 9 Wild Mustang pieces and just happens to be the star of CNBC’s new reality show for real-estate ‘The Deed: Chicago’. You can see sneak peeks of my pieces all over his office during the shows.
KIMIMEANS ‘SECRET’ INNAVAJO.THENAMESECRETSPOKETOMEFORTHISIMAGEBECAUSEOFTHEINTIMATEMOMENTSHAREDBETWEENTHESETWOWILDHORSES.AS I SEEIT, ONEMUSTANGISWHISPERINGTHEUNSEENANDUNHEARDTRUTHSONLYKNOWNANDSHAREDBYTHEHERD.THEIRMAGIC.THEIRSECRET.ONLYKNOWNTOTHEM.
KIMIISONEOFMYALLTIMEPERSONALFAVORITEIMAGESBECAUSEOFTHEMAGICALQUALITIESANDMOMENT, WHICHISSOPRECISELYCAPTUREDHERE.DESPITETHAT I WASFREEZING, EXHAUSTEDANDREADYTORETIREFROM A LONGDAY’S SHOOT, I WASKEENLYAWAREOFTHE ‘MAGIC’ THATWASABOUTTOHAPPENONTOPOFTHESMALLMOUNTAIN.SOMEPHOTOGRAPHERSKNOWWHENSOMETHING ‘SPECIAL’ ISGOINGTOHAPPEN.AND I HADTHATFEELING.SO I WAITED… THESUNWASSETTINGANDTHEWINDSWERESTRONG, COLDANDCONSTANTLYBLOWINGDIRTINMYEYES, MOUTH, ANDNOSE.THENTHEMAGICHAPPENED, THEMOSTPRECIOUS, INTIMATE, YETSUBTLECONNECTIONBETWEENTHESETWOHORSESHAPPENED.ITWASSOSUBTLETHATMOSTWOULDMISSIT.JUSTLIKEONEWOULDMISSANEXCHANGEOF A SECRETORWHISPER.
IRONICALLY, THISIMAGELOOKSASIFITWASPRODUCEDIN A STUDIO - WITHALLTHEVARIABLESTHATGOINTOMAKINGANAMAZINGSHOTTHEREISUSUALLY A DEGREEOFCONTROLTOTHE ‘SET’. THELIGHT, BACKGROUND, WIND, AND ‘POSE’ OFTHESETWOSTUNNINGWILDHORSESWEREALLALIGNEDFOR A PERFECTIMAGE - YET I WASMERELY A STAND-BYER.THETYPESOFVARIABLESTHAT I WAITFORANDAMLUCKYTOEXPERIENCEONCEIN A BLUEMOONWHENPHOTOGRAPHINGOUTINTHEFIELD.THETRUEBEAUTYOFWHATMAKESTHISIMAGESOSPECIALTOMEISTHATTHEREWASABSOLUTELYNOTHINGCONTROLLINGTHESUBTLETIESANDINTRINSICALNATUREOFTHISSHOT - JUSTGOD’S BEAUTIFULCREATIONSANDNATURALLYOCCURRING ‘LIFE.’
I was terribly lucky to spend a few days shooting the wild horses on the Outerbanks. These horses have such amazing history and stories of survival as they co-exist with the occasional alligator and sharks and a sparse diet loaded with salt water. Not to even mention the tropical storms and hurricanes that frequent their home. There is more to come here… and soon, but for now here are some sneak peeks…
Every piece of art I create are all like “little children” of mine. So it’s very rewarding when I get to see them shine on their own - all from the Ghost Tree Series.
The UNASERIES. My most thought provoking, soul searching, intuitive collection yet. This collection has taken me triple the amount of time than all my other works. I poured my heart, soul, and body into the very beginning to end of this series. Becuase it was so special to me, so emotionally touching I knew each piece needed special names and I felt compelled to come up with the American name and then find the translation from over 40 different Native American Indian tribes. This felt honest. It felt authentic, not for me, but for the wild horses.
THEHOPITRIBE’S WORDFORREMEMBERIS ‘UNA’. THISISTHEMOSTPOWERFULANDTHOUGHTPROVOKINGWORDFORTHISSERIES, WHICHISWHY I CHOOSETOCALLTHEENTIRESERIESUNA.IT’S FORPAYINGHOMMAGETOTHENATIVEAMERICANINDIANSANDTHEWILDMUSTANGS.IT’S REMEMBERINGTHEBETRAYAL, BEINGTORNAWAYFROMFAMILY, LAND, COMMUNITY, FAMILY’S, DIGNITY, ANDCULTURE – BOTHAMERICANINDIANSANDWILDMUSTANGHAVEENDUREDTHISSADREALITY.BUT It’s ALSOPAYINGHOMAGE, HONORINGANDREMEMBERINGTHESTRENGTHS, WISDOM, WAYOFLIFE, CULTURE, PRIDE, SPIRITUALENERGYANDPERSEVERANCEDESPITEEXTREMEUNFAIRUNFATHOMABLEOFFENSESTHEYHAVEENDUREDOVERTIME.AS A CAUCASIANANDCHRISTIANFEMALEBORNINAMERICA, WITHNOOBSTACLESORATROCITIESTOFACEGROWINGUPOFMYOWNORMYFAMILYANDLIVING A LIFEOFEASEANDABILITYTOFOLLOWMYDREAMS, I AMDEEPLYMOVEDANDSADDENEDBYHISTORYANDTHEFEAROFHOWITREPEATSITSELF.BELOWARETWOAMERICANINDIANPRAYERSTHATSPEAKVOLUMESTOMEAS I RELATETOTHECURRENTREALITYOFTHEWILDMUSTANGSANDMANKIND.ANDMYPRAYERANDHOPEISTHATMAYWEREMEMBER ~ ANDBEABLETOCHANGE.
Prayer for the Whiteman
And now, Creator, I ask you to bless the White Man
He needs your Wisdom, your guidance.
You see, for so long,
he has tried to destroy my people
and only feels comfortable
when given power.
Bless them, show them the peace we understand
teach them humility.
For I fear they will someday destroy themselves
and their children.
As they have done to Mother Earth
I plead, I cry
After all, They are my Brothers
Respect Mother Earth
Only after the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been polluted
Only after the last fish has been caught
Only then will you find, that money can not be eaten
Don’t know about you… but these wintery scenes of birch trees and lodge poles from the Ghost Trees series take me to a good place;) Here are just a few.
I am so excited to launch my new series ‘Ghost Trees’. These images were taken on the northwest area outside of Yellowstone National Park. I had to snowmobile to get to this spot where just before the treeline stops, the trees become a spectacle of mystery and shapes that take on various forms of humans, angels, and animals from the wind blowing snow into the trees where it freezes the trees in the mesmerizing shapes. I have never seen anything like it before, and I’d tell anyone “add it to your bucket list” for sure! It was a chilly -15° and I had repeatedly frozen my thumb to the metal camera. But, it was an experience I can’t wait to do again.
The Ghost Trees series is about getting in touch with the unrivaled natural beauty and tranquility of wintertime. This surreal beauty is equally met with curiosity and wonder. These works display Monther Nature’s play at ‘reality’ that evoke visions of ‘fantasy’ that invite us into a trance-like state of awe. With this series, it is my hope to re-connect the viewer to a deep sense of wonderment with all that Mother Nature has to offer and teach us.
As I mentioned above, the trees take on the most amazing shapes. Well, take a look and try to see the Cherubs with feathers and wings blowing behind them, pointing to something beyond them as they ride something only grand enough to come from heaven. Yes, of course, I’m an artist and spend way too much time in my head, however, once you ‘see’ this there is no turning back! I promise!
I absolutely love my Yellowstone Water Series. They are deep, colorful, soft, mysterious, calming, and inspiring to me. My vision for this series was to create imagery that is more conceptual than literal interpretations of the geysers at Yellowstone National Park. I envisioned creating pieces that could be ambiguous and be perceived as either paintings or photographs. The environment in its organic state at Yellowstone National Park is a curious wonderment to take in for people. So, I wanted to capture this mystery and wonderment and create dreamlike imagery of the waters. I wanted people to get lost in them. I love all the different vibrant colors and textures that are created from the hot springs. Being a science geek, I celebrate that the different water temperatures and organisms create this ever-changing work of art. Here are some of my favorite pieces on display.
What a grand surprise when I found out that Persistence finds her way again into the spotlight. I love this piece. I still remember all the details when I photographed this moment, she was running right at me and if it were not for my delusion of the telephoto (200mm) I would have ducked out of the way much sooner, but I was so persistent on getting the shot I didn’t realize that this mare was running straight at me, and luckily she turned at the very last minute. And that is why I named this piece Persistence. Becuase we both had it at that very moment!
