Studio Art

Tracy Otten

Associate Professor of Studio Art North Dakota State University, BS 1997 Palackeho Univerzita, Olomouc, Czech Republic University of South Dakota, MFA 2000 Contact Info: Office: HFA 15C Phone: (320) 589-6231 E-mail: ottentr@morris.umn.edu Courses Taught: ArtS 2201 & 2202 Beginning Printmaking I & II ArtS 3200 & 3210 Advanced Printmaking I & II  ArtS 3007 Media Studies – Screenprinting  ArtS 3009 Media Studies – Printmaking  ArtS 1070 First Year Drawing:  ArtS 2102 & 3110Second/Third Year Drawing:  ArtS 1101 & 1102 Basic Studio Drawing ArtS 1103  Basic Studio 2-D Design ArtS 1105 & 1106 Basic Studio Discussion

Biography

Theresa (Tracy) Rae Otten was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, Sociology and Fine Art from North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND.  Otten did graduate work at Palackeho Univerzita, Olomouc, Czech Republic and at the University of South Dakota where she received a MFA in Printmaking.  Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at the University of Minnesota, Morris.  Her prints and mixed media collages have been shown in over 60 regional, national and international exhibitions in the past decade, 13 of which were solo exhibitions.  Her work is also in the permanent collection of 30 universities and museums.  Otten has been the recipient of grants and awards through the Lake Region Arts Council, the University of Minnesota, the Plains Art Museum and the Nebraska Fine Arts Council One Percent for the Arts.

Artist Statment

For the past eleven years my work has revolved around ideas regarding general temporal transformation; more specifically, the evolution of the individual as a product of the transient nature of existence.  In this ongoing exploration of change I have consistently used layers of printed and drawn information, built up in a slow and steady progression.  I see the gradual accumulation or destruction of information on the papers surface much like the day to day changes we experience that ultimately shape who we are.   

Much of my work is a mix of tradition and experimentation.  The former method employs the matrix as a way to generate a series of identical prints, the later allows me to engineer shifts in orientation, color, and clarity to yield any number of one of a kind pieces.  So, while I create plates in a traditional fashion, through a variety of printmaking processes, the manner in which I print them is quite intuitive and spontaneous.  By way of comparison, a typical printed edition might have three to six color runs, emphasizing economy of ink and overprinting.  My monoprints, however, have an average of 20 to 30 color runs, as well as hand drawn information.  The accumulation that results, is a richness of surface color and texture that can only be created by numerous printings.    

In thinking about how we develop over time, it was natural to consider how social roles and expectations influence identity development. Among my personal symbols in this visually abstract dialogue is a reoccurring ovoid.  The energy with which these dynamic, semicircular forms were created is representative for me of both the egg from whence we came and the eternal cycle of life.  The spontaneity and movement of these marks is like capturing a moment of time.  The particular interaction or separation of these forms speaks to the distance between people created by the imposition of social mores and expectation.  Similarly, the fishes and tally marks have emerged to represent the excess of consumption in our society – the insatiable need for attainment of physical, emotional and material currency.

The power of gender roles in our personal growth has increasingly become an area of focus in my work.  I associate the teacup with femininity - possessing both elegance and delicacy. The designation of the cup as feminine has both a personal and historical precedent. In addition to the obvious functional qualities, traditionally women have been symbolized as containers or vessels.  Such a seemingly arbitrary designation of gender to an inanimate object is as curious to me as the broader societal definitions of such used to measure individuals.  In this case, the cup is broken indicating a fracture in conventional gender roles. 

Recently I have begun to incorporate the genteel refinement of a woman’s handkerchief into this personal iconography to further explore these ideas of individuality, social mores and prosperity.  Using my collection of handkerchiefs from the 1940s and 50s as a guide, I have started referencing their patterns, edges and compositions in portions of my work.  The textured surfaces created by the build up of the printed information allude to a sense of history and provoke a tactile response reminiscent of fabric rather than paper.  These disparate elements converge conceptually to create a tension in striving to define limitations for oneself in contrast to the larger societal expectations.