Craig Tracy
"Ebony" by Craig Tracy
In part six of Cruising the Mediterranean: A Multicultural Family Odyssey "Our Day in Palma,” I introduced you to the art of Craig Tracy on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas cruise ship. We found his art in the gallery, but it was not the first time we had met Mr. Tracy through his art. The first time was in my native New Orleans on a trip that did not go as planned. In 2022, my husband, Marlon, and I went to Las Vegas to attend my father’s, wedding to my bonus mom, Kimiyo. A little backstory: my dad, Melvin, and Kimiyo have been together for over 20 years, but only decided to put their marriage on paper two years ago and they live in Las Vegas. A few days after a successful ceremony on Nellis Air Force Base and a celebratory dinner at the world-famous TAO Asian Bistro located in The Venetian Resort and Casino, we left on Spirit Airlines—which was our first problem.
As many travelers have discovered, cheaper is not equal to better, certainly not where air travel is concerned. We assumed the risk of the random 'Not our fault,' mess that comes with booking with Spirit, but still did not expect what we received. Long story short, we landed in New Orleans, Louisiana for a three-hour layover but did not get home until four days later! Spirit was on some Gilligan's Island stuff – "A three-hour tour..."
 |
Fly Spirit Airlines: Where every flight delay is a surprise party, overbooking
is our version of Tetris, and cancellations are our specialty. Buckle up for the ride!
WWJD?
Getting stuck in my beautiful moss-covered hometown, moi 'Petit Paris', better known as 'The Big Easy' was a small blessing. New Orleans is a city full of magic, mystery, history, music, art, and the land of a million restaurants with the same menu—when you get it right the first time, why change it? I know anything and everything can and will go down in the ‘Boot.’ So we asked ourselves WWJD - What Would Juvenile Do? After zero assistance from Spirit, we found ourselves with four days to wander the wafting jasmine streets of Nouveau Orleans. So we booked a room at the Holiday Inn French Quarter-Chateau LeMoyne at 301 Dauphine Street and decided to 'Laissez le bon temps rouler!'
First Encounters
The first clips in the above video were from night one of our surprise four-day layover in 'The Boot.' On day two of the NOLA hangover, down on Rue Royal in the Vieux Carré (French: Old Square) better known as the French Quarter, I was stopped in my tracks as we passed several art galleries. I called out to Marlon who had walked ahead to see what stopped me. It was her, “Ebony,” her intense stare peering out from this living, breathing canvas, commanded me to a halt. Marlon returned to my side and was awe-struck also. We both stood there mesmerized until I suggested we go in.
Craig Tracy, you will learn from his interview below, is a mixed-media painter and body painting savant, he does all this while in the throes of losing his sight. "Ebony" is a one-of-one, mixed-media, oil on canvas painting done in the style of Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night. The model's name is Ebony and she posed while Mr. Tracy transferred the contents of his mind's eye, the sight he will never be without, onto her body. He seamlessly melded the model's image with the backdrop, adding depth and texture layering the swirls of oil paint into an intense Ebony night in La Louisiane.
Yes, Ebony
First, the spiraling paint catches my attention, then – a tilt of my head and "I've seen this before, haven't I?" But no I have not. Suddenly, as if I am being pulled by a rope tethered to my soul, I feel myself floating closer, and a deep, bluesy voice beckons, "Come and see." Free will dismantled I have no choice but to obey.
Drawn inside by an invisible force, Marlon and I stared back into Ebony's eyes and without knowing, we became hers. Another Tracy, Phil Tracy, one of the artist's brothers, approached me and Marlon and asked if we liked her, and like is just not the word. Remember this trip was supposed to be over and we were not supposed to be there, but here we were as if Ebony caused our flight to be canceled casting her vodun spell over our plans. Our plan then became finding a way to bring Ebony home for ourselves. Initially, Marlon and I discussed commissioning Mr. Tracy to create another Ebony, Phil Tracy explained the Starry Night Ebony was a one-of-one and any future Ebony would be different, and that was it, we bought the piece knowing she would be gone if not purchased right away.
Phil Tracy is the person that makes this a Bizarre Encounter Abroad. As recounted in part six of the Cruising the Mediterranean series in my Destination Diaries category, we ran into two of Craig Tracy's pieces for auction in Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas art gallery. When I saw them I remembered Phil Tracy had gone on a cruise with Royal Caribbean also, maybe it was the very ship we were on, if not, how coincidental or serendipitous for the work of Craig Tracy to be aboard a ship in the Mediterranean Sea with us.
Another Matrix-like coincidence in my Craig Tracy story is Vincent van Gogh. In 2012, as a gift for completing my Undergraduate degree from Clayton State University, in Morrow, Georgia, we went to The Netherlands to visit my cousin-sister-mentor-friend, Andrea and Boz, their daughter Gabby, and fur babies Lady and Tiger (dog and cat respectively). That was my first time in Europe. During our celebratory tour, we rented bicycles near our B&B (old-school bed and breakfast where you stay in a home, meet other guests as they check in and out, and have meals with the hosts and guests), and rode to the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This museum excursion was the first art museum I had been to in my life, the second was the Louvre in Paris, France. Pretty awesome first-time experiences I'd say, all love to my 'Navigator' Marlon for making that happen without even knowing how important van Gogh is to me.
Van Gogh painted Starry Night while inpatient at a psychiatric institution, it was the view from his window at the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence asylum. From the time I was a child and first learned of Van Gogh's mental health problems and his insatiable painting, I was endeared to him. I manage an anxiety disorder, though I did not have words for how my brain functions when I was younger I knew I was different and I could recognize that difference in others. His work signaled to me that one could straighten the crookedness in their mind through art. That we can all express ourselves and be seen, we only need the right medium.
Girl Inspired
So moved by Craig Tracy's Ebony, I made a fictional, mixed-media, short story featuring Ebony as the painting Eve in "Mardi Gras Eve", a play on words as it takes place on the Monday before Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras Eve (that is actually Lundi Gras or Fat Monday).
That Hoodoo You Do
It was Ebony who brought us to my mystical bayou home. She stopped our flight from continuing to Orlando. She knew we needed her, the muse for our future and she is beckoning still to all who view her, "Come and see."
We did make it back to Orlando and Ebony followed just seven days later.
- END -
Hey THC Nomads!
Thanks for reading! Don't miss out – scroll down to SUBSCRIBE! Dive into The Horizon Calls share your thoughts in the comments, and connect with us on socials – Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
Definitely a bizarre encounter that started with chaos at the Spirit Airlines “We don’t give a damn!” Ticket Counter. I told the ticket agent that we would be homeless for the 3 days because we didn’t have money to get home. She just looked unconcerned and shrugged her shoulders. Good times! Great lemonade!