Artist to Know: Tracy Helgeson and Dreamy Landscapes

Well…there isn’t much that I actually know about Tracy Helgeson’s background other than that she lives in upper New York on a farm, she was born in Minnesota, and she attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Nonetheless, I absolutely love her work and she is one of my favorite contemporary landscape artists!

Side of the Road (2017) oil on panel, 36 x 48 x 2 in.

What I love most about her painting is that they seem dreamlike and have unexpected colors and shapes in vistas that we have all seen. To me they remind me of the relaxing feeling I get driving past beautiful country landscapes, gaving out of the car window. Each of her paintings are pared down to essential shapes and elements which allow me to imagine what might be happening in the corners and edges of the scenes.

Along the Road (2023) oil on wood panel, 30 x 40 in.; A Tale of Two Barns (2017) oil on wood panel, 24 x 36 x 2 in.; A Light Curve (2017) oil on wood panel, 20 x 24 x 1 in.; Quiet Nightfall (2019) oil on panel, 24 x 30 in.; Fall Drama in Red (2021) oil on wood panel, 30 x 30 x 2 in.; Color Field 608 (2022), oil on wood panel, 14 x 18 x 2 in.; Barn Windows (2024) oil on wood panel, 14 x 18 in.

Surprisingly, Helgeson revealed that she never really painted landscapes early in her career but started once she moved to the country in upstate New York 20 years ago. That parallels my own story of when I became obsessed with painting abstract landscapes once I had moved to Michigan in the 2010s. Like her, I have been excited to paint what I see out of my window if not a version of that reality that is what I wish it to look like…embellishments and unusual color and all.

Rosy Hill (2008) oil on panel, 24 x 18 in.

Her work is sold at the Carrie Haddad Gallery, the Laffer Gallery, and the Greylock Gallery.

Last of the Morning Fog oil on wood panel, 40" x 30"