Tracey Witter

I was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey.
From an early age I was drawn to the arts. Although I had no formal
training, I was always drawing and painting.

After graduating high school, I served 4 years in the U.S. Air Force.
Upon discharge, I attended Kean University and received a Bachelor
of Fine Arts degree. I left college disappointed. This was a time of self expression rather than teaching the techniques of drawing and painting
which was my interest. Shortly thereafter I joined the Newark Fire
Department and retired as a Battalion Chief after 32 years.

Through these years, I continued to use my drawing skills to visually balance and solve problems with space. Art to me was like a math problem. I would continually find myself looking at my surroundings, noticing the angles of structures and objects and the space they occupy, conveying them to scraps of paper. Once the problem was solved, the paper was discarded.

At retirement, my wife and I settled in Highlands, New Jersey. Taking walks through the surrounding area, I became aware of the Atlantic Highlands Art Council. It was the impetus to my return to painting.

I am a traditionalist when it comes to art. In my paintings, composition is most important. I will tackle any contemporary subject matter and manipulate the size, shape and color to fit the composition. I only use the primary colors, red, blue and yellow and black and white. I mix the colors for my paintings from these basic colors.
Once complete, a work of art should stand alone without explanation; it’s value to be interpreted and judged by the viewer.