Check Out Traci O’Very Covey’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Traci O’Very Covey.

Traci, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been an artist. As a little girl, I loved to draw, color in coloring books, and make all sorts of things (even tiny books and clothes for my troll dolls!). There was never any question in my mind that I would be an artist when I grew up.

I studied painting and drawing at the University of Utah then majored in graphic design and illustration. Two weeks after graduation my friend Julia and I started our own graphic design firm. We were on an entrepreneurial adventure and learned as we went along. Our business was called LaPine/O’Very and we had so much fun creating together. We won many awards and accolades during the six years we were together.

Then my amazing photographer/digital artist husband, Mikel Covey, and I merged our businesses together to form O’Very/Covey. We loved working together and collaborating on a wide array of projects from brochures, posters, advertising and editorial art imagery, book design and illustration, branding and more. We won both local and national awards for clients ranging from Ballet West to Intel, and were also Creative Directors of Utah Homes & Gardens magazine. Over time we craved our own personal artistic expression and each began focusing on our fine art.

Now I am a full time fine artist. My paintings have been exhibited in galleries, and museums, and are in both corporate and private collections. In 2013 I got my first mural commission and fell in love with that art form. I continue to paint murals, paintings, and I have also designed metal sculptures. I’m passionate about creating art for public spaces because I love how art can benefit people’s everyday lives. Walking down a street and seeing a colorful work of art unexpectedly always lights me up so I hope my art does that for others as well. The metal sculpture installations I have designed enliven the streets on the intersection of 300 S 300 E and on both sides of North Temple near 700 W. My large colorful murals are on the exteriors and interiors of public buildings including the Eccles Theater, Mountain America Expo Center, Millcreek Community Center, Mountain Land Design, Jordan Landing Shopping Center, and in the Mid-Concourse Tunnel of the new Salt Lake International Airport. I’m honored that my airport murals are listed in the CODAworx 2022 Top 100 Awards for art in public spaces around the world.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
In general, it has been a smooth road but one with many hills and valleys. Keeping a consistent cash flow is a challenge for most all small businesses. We artists are brave entrepreneurs, though at times people (including ourselves) might not think of us that way. We wear many hats, from creating art, writing project proposals, managing deadlines, pricing, marketing, and selling our work, and engaging with the public just to name a few.

Over the years I have used my creativity in multiple ways to earn my income and many of them taking place simultaneously. Besides my current work of fine art painting, limited edition prints, art note cards, public art murals and sculpture — and my past work including all aspects of graphic design and illustration — I have licensed my art for products, designed beaded jewelry, designed colors for hand-knotted rugs produced in Tibet, and done whatever else my creative mind is capable of! Thankfully living the life of an artist is abundant with opportunity if you are dedicated and determined.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Infusing spaces with beauty, meaning and joy, is the intention I have for my art. I am inspired by nature and what I call “the grace and joy of everyday life.” My artwork depicts landscapes, animals and birds, as well as gardens, vegetables fresh from the farmer’s market, and delicate teacups. These various elements mingle harmoniously with intertwining lines and a strong interplay of color and shape to create dynamic compositions that offer a sense of discovery. The things in my art are rooted in representation, filtered through my imagination, stylized and abstracted to become my own unique expression of the world.

Ultimately, I believe that we are all interconnected, that our energies are intertwined, and that what we do affects one another, nature, and our planet.

What are your plans for the future?
I love everything that I am currently creating and would be thrilled for it to go out into the larger world. My plans for the future are to have my art in other places around the U.S. and perhaps even in other countries. For instance, creating art for public spaces in other cities, and having my paintings in galleries outside of Utah. I would love to design artwork for a wall that instead of being a hand-painted mural would be fabricated as a mosaic. Additionally, designing art for a large glass window wall, or a terrazzo floor in a public building such as an airport or institution would be a dream project.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tracioverycovey.com/
• Instagram: @toverycovey
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraciOVeryCoveyArt

Image Credits
Stuart Ruckman
Traci O’Very Covey