Inspirational Artist

Tracey Lee Stum

Tracy Lee Stum is a 3D chalk artist that prefers to paint streets. I really think 3d art is one of the hardest styles of art to get right. Alot of artists don't "make it happen" in the reality of 3D art but when they do it's awesome! Tracy was born in Pennsylvania and graduated from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia with a 4yr bachelors degree. She continued her studies in naturalism at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.

She currently hols the Guinness World record for the largest street painting by an individual! Here's a link to her awards.

“I’m a street painter – I draw things with chalk pastels on pavement; streets, plazas or sidewalks in urban public areas. I have a passion for manipulating 2D surfaces to reveal an unlikely alternative in 3D, typically designing and creating interactive images which invite the viewer to become part of my imagined world. As a result, communicating through this manner of direct participation has certainly become the keystone of my philosophy on being a visual artist.
The ephemeral nature of this art form has taught me how to let go of expectations, trust in my abilities and enjoy process. I tend to work intuitively, often creating or developing each painting in the moment – I may not know exactly how it will look before I begin but I listen to my impulses and find they always lead me to wonderful discoveries and results. Technically my works are completed rather quickly: 1 to 3 days being the limit for most paintings. It’s a very physical way to make something and an appropriate conduit for my needs to 1.) stay in motion and 2.) visually reinvent whatever real estate I stake out.
My chalk conversations speak from imagination, beauty & playfulness through imagined and referenced sources, with nods toward art history, personal history, contemporary cultural iconography & global cultural influences.  Perception, geometry, lighting, color and movement are essential to my work – as much as accessing my intuitive impulses. In choosing this unorthodox manner in which to communicate with others, I have surely found a suitable medium to express my visions of mind and heart.” - Tracy Lee Stum

Above are three pieces of her work. I like the bottom one best because it really gives the feel of depth in the street and that there may actually be a sunken crater there. 3D art that projects downward into something I think is more easily pulled off. The ones that have to project the illusion vertical, to me, seem the hardest like Benjamin on top.