Elissa Tracy is a unique, bold, pop culture artist with a signature style. Think Warhol meets Dali. She has mastered the art of thick acrylic paints and deep, potent colors giving vibrant flair to the familiar and an allure to the abstract, creating her own twist of sub styles that include; pop icon portraits, abstract expressionism, free style street art and comic book heroes. In the words of Justluxe.com: “Elissa Tracy is Lichtenstein in latex; she’s a Catwoman Warhol”
Tracy’s newest series, “Selfies” reflects the most iconic portraits of pop culture today. Selfies is a term that, until recently, did not exist in our lexicon. The term and images are now ubiquitous.
According to an article in Psychology Today, “…selfies are also a manifestation of society’s obsession with looks and its ever-narcissistic embrace. There’s a sense that selfie subjects feel as though they’re starring in their own reality shows, with an inflated sense of self that allows them to believe their friends or followers are interested in seeing them lying in bed, lips pursed, in a real world headshot. It’s like looking in the mirror all day long, and letting others see you do it.”
A recent study out of the UK found that increased frequency of sharing self-portraits is related to a decrease in intimacy with others.
Psychiatrist Dr. David Veal told the Sunday Mirror that: “Two out of three of all the patients who come to see me with Body Dysmorphic Disorder since the rise of camera phones have a compulsion to repeatedly take selfies… this is a serious problem. It’s not a vanity issue. It’s a mental health one which has an extremely high suicide rate.”
Yet, San Jose Mercury-News‘ Jessica Yadegaran writes, “psychologists say that in moderation, selfies are a feel-good and often creative way, particularly for teens, to chronicle their lives and emotions and express their personalities.”
Regardless of the harm or good that selfies bring, they are a pop culture phenomena, and one that artist Elissa Tracy is chronicling. As Warhol reflected and mirrored the culture of his times, Tracy is transforming the selfie phenomena into an art phenomena and is using the canvas as a mirror where we see ourselves – as we stare at ourselves.
Whether they reflect narcissism, addiction, and a serious mental disorder, or simply a healthy sense of self, Selfies are a digital age phenomena that are now a part of our personal and social landscape.
As with the most impactful works of art, Tracy’s Selfies series allows the viewers to bring their judgments and interpretations to her work. Tracy’s controversial paintings do not judge, but mirror the phenomena.
Elissa’s work has quickly garnered her a large social media following.
Follow her here:
Elissa Tracy Instagram
Elissa Tracy Facebook
Elissa Tracy Twitter
ElissaTracy.com
Copyright © Anthony Mora Communications 2014