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By Gretel Breytenbach
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“What you see is what you get,” says the artist beaming from ear to ear. Her sparkling blue eyes belie many of the traumas that she has survived, and her ridiculously positive attitude has kept her powering through challenges, which would have broken anyone with less spirit.
For most of her life, Tracey Keller has endured a daily battle with pain. Our first meeting was memorable, with Tracey hopping into the restaurant on crutches. Her arresting smile riveted my attention to her beautiful face, away from what was very nearly a debilitating injury.
For someone who had barely survived a horrific paragliding accident in 2004, this lady’s spirit, joie-de-vivre and pure passion for life were simply inspiring! In spite of a broken back and, for all intents and purposes, a severed foot, Tracey defied the odds and was walking again about 12 months after the accident.
“My orthopaedic surgeon labelled me a freak,” she says with a wry smile. Choosing not to use conventional western medicine, Tracey’s rapid healing process could not be explained rationally. For her, it’s very simple: “Life is about choice.” |
And this philosophy is apparent in everything she does. “I choose to be healthy, I choose to walk and I choose to be happy.”
This straightforward approach to life allows Tracey to have a unique and deep understanding of the human condition. Her passionate message is that we can heal ourselves. According to Tracey, the body doesn’t need painkillers that simply mask pain.
Tracey already knew a bit about pain. At the age of 15, she was hit by a car while cycling. Suffering massive head injuries, the young athlete was confined to a wheelchair for about two years. There was a time, she admits, when she was filled with sadness, blame and anger. “And then something happened. I decided one day that this just wasn’t good enough. It just wasn’t me.” At that stage Tracey had endured more than 30 operations to her knees.
“It’s a matter of choice. I choose not to let anything stop me!”
This tenacity is what inspired Tracey to move from a coveted corporate career as Retail Operations Manager with Hilton International, to world-famous artist with sell-out exhibitions in New York!
“I paint to make people smile,” says the artist. “My goal is to inject a sense of positivity and happiness into people’s eyes.” Interesting then that some people choose not to experience her art as intended. “Some don’t like it – they want it to have a deeper meaning!”
The Tracey Keller Gallery in New Farm inspires in more ways than one. Tracey invites artists into her gallery and provides them with a standard artist business plan to help them set up their own business.
“I have artists in here about twice a week,” she continues. “Once I’ve given them the plan, I won’t talk to them until they’ve implemented it. And the sad thing is that three quarters of them never do.”
Her generosity of spirit isn’t limited to her artists and her friends. Tracey’s other philosophy is contribution.
Tracey aims to contribute $30,000 every year to various charities of her choice. “That’s what I strive for and that’s what I get, but contribution is more than just money. It means contributing to society, family and friends; and it means serving. It’s something everyone should do everyday,” she says.
According to Tracey it’s as simple as smiling at someone, helping a little old lady across the street, or having tea with someone who is lonely.
True to her word, Tracey contributes and serves. During this interview, one of Tracey’s many friends came into the gallery to say hello. Living just up the road in a housing commission project, she is someone who Tracey regularly catches up with, ensuring that she has a friend, and also some food in the fridge.
Tracey’s art and her life reflect the same message: What you see is what you get.
And what I see is inspiring, with a generosity and sense of spirit that some may find overwhelming, like a tornado of positive energy that sweeps you along.
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