Artist has the magical touch for the holidays

She may not be Kris Kringle, but Kristy Tracy makes people smile. The name Singing Creek Studio sounds like the title of a children’s nursery rhyme, but is actually the art studio where Kristy makes magic happen on canvas.

Whimsical art pieces with fantasy titles seem to “come to life” when you walk into the room, and so do people’s faces. Kristy says she considers an art show a success which she sees “the people react to my artwork and their faces break out in a big grin.”

From across the room, guests admire the cute wide-eyed bears, fancy dressed-up moose, and decorated salmon. Moving in for a closer look, the viewer becomes enthralled in the artist’s world of fantasy. Nothing pleases the artist more.

When she was a little girl, her father “understood a child’s love of make believe” and gave her encouragement and coaching. She credits him for her “over-active imagination.”

With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree under her belt, she landed a great job with a large craft company in her home town of Memphis, Tenn., where her designs became patterns for others to make art happen.

After moving to Alaska, her art got larger, kind of like the scenery, and humorous, kind of like cabin-fever-stress relievers.

Joe, her husband of 28 years, replaced her father as her chief motivator, always encouraging her to tackle new opportunities, such as submitting an entry this month for a Rasmuson Grant Purchase Award at the Palmer Museum of History and Art.

Her two Jack Russell terriers, Spanky and Mimzy, may show up as subjects in her art. “I especially love anthropomorphizing animals,” says Kristy on her web site, singingcreekstudio.com

From her web site, Kristy’s blog follows a stroke by stroke creation of “Fall Fandango,” a lively Yup’ik polar bear drum dancer in full regalia, strutting through the foreground to background of a large acrylic painting.

Her painting called “Salmon Claus” depicts a red furry, hat- and beard-flapping salmon flying through the night sky as he is showering presents on the world. Kristy says this “is kind of what I would like to do, actually.”

Kristy’s artwork will surely get you in the Christmas mood at her upcoming show at Primrose Retirement Center, during the Valley Second Saturday art happenings.

“Warm Welcome” is a painting that started out as a Christmas card, and sports a grizzly bear grinning from the open door of his cabin, with a salmon hanging on a welcome plaque over the entry and a map of Alaska over the fireplace.

Not unlike the cordial bear in her art piece, Kristy remarks, “It is neat to have a place in Alaska to enjoy your friends.” And as you depart out of sight, you might hear her say, “To all a whimsical night!”

Meet the artist, Kristy Tracy, at the opening of “Magical to Mystical,” Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m., at Primrose Retirement Community off Lucille in Wasilla. Call Jessica at 315-4025 for more information.

Suzanne Bach is a Valley artist and teaches at Mat-Su College.