Brave New World Exhibit at the World Trade Center in Baltimore

Brave New World art exhibit by Tracey Grumbach at the World Trade Center in Baltimore

The following press release was just sent to local Maryland news outlets and I am pretty excited about this opportunity!

 

BALTIMORE, MD−August 20, 2019−Harford County artist, Tracey Grumbach, is currently showing 46 pieces of digital art in a solo art exhibit titled “Brave New World” at the World Trade Center in Baltimore.  The show runs through September 13, 2019.

This is the largest collection of Mrs. Grumbach’s work shown to date and features work from several of her latest series including Faceless, The Beauty Myth, and Growth Mindset, which examine human nature and the influences of the technical age on the human psyche.

Tracey Grumbach states, “This collection of art is my victory call because it was created over a period of several years out of a need to express myself during my battle with Chronic Lyme Disease. I felt silenced, not only from the effects of aphasia, which was caused by the disease damaging the language section of my brain, but also by the doctors and hospitals who didn’t believe I was suffering in such a severe way. Art was my way of reconnecting with a world that I didn’t trust anymore, thus the title of the exhibit, Brave New World.”

Mrs. Grumbach’s artistic practice is focused on combining traditional collage with photography and digital art, creating a unique look that each of the other disciplines can’t achieve on their own.

Mrs. Grumbach will also show her art in New York City at the prestigious LymeMIND Conference on October 19, 2019.

About Tracey Grumbach (www.nineacresdesigns.com)

Tracey Grumbach teaches art and photography classes at Harford Community College.  Her artwork has been seen in venues throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania, and has been published in national and international publications. She is also a member of Harford Artists’ Association. 

Tracey Grumbach in front of the Brave New World art exhibit at the World Trade Center in Baltimore

If you happen to swing by the exhibit, take a picture of yourself in front of the art and send it to me to be entered for a chance to win a free print!

I am so thankful to God for these opportunities to get my art and my story out into the world. 

6/365- Baltimore Rooftops

“Mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs.”

―Roman Payne; Rooftop Soliloquy
  
 -------

Today I am proud to announce the five pieces that will be showing in the upcoming Autumn Splendor Art Show at Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace, MD. Please join me and the other artists for the opening reception of this fantastic show on Friday, September 15th from 7PM-9PM. There will be light refreshments, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar. I hope to see you there!

Here are the five pieces that will be matted, framed, and available for purchase-three of the pieces will be showing for the first time in print! Also, Long Shadows of Empirical Knowledge will be featured on the October/November cover of Harford's Heart magazine, so be sure to check it out in all its framed glory!

Long Shadows of Empirical Knowledge

Moving Gently Into the Night

I Accept That I Do Not Know Where I Am Going

Hay Harvest

First Amish Snowfall

Federal Hill- Baltimore, Maryland

A view of Federal Hill from across the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.

Cathedral of the Incarnation- Altered Photography by Tracey Grumbach

Cathedral of the Incarnation- Baltimore, MD

Why do I speak out about something so personal and private to me as a chronic illness? Because of amazing people like the following, who reach out to me on an almost daily basis telling me to keep working, keep talking, keep reaching out because it makes a difference in people's lives.

Emails, messages, and posts from others, such as the following, keep me motivated to continue this work (Names are modified to initials for privacy)-

"The whole experience of the event for us was what K likes to call an "Agreement". The both of us have many parallels with your story - your journey. We are are inspired by your work and your insights. "Hauntingly Beautiful" is what K called your pieces, and so we see your experience inside each one. I heard someone once say when going through their most challenging times, they prayed their experiences could be used as a tool for others - that their story would be of service to others. It seems this is (at least) part of your path, so thank you for putting so much "out there" as it truly is of service!"

and

"Hello. I am very interested in your presentation about Lyme on May 5. How do I sign up for this? I have chronic Lyme in my family and find it difficult to find help in South Carolina. I would appreciate any help . I also see there is a run for lyme May 7 in Ashburn , VA. We would like to make these and support Lyme treatment. Thank you for all you do."

 and

"Thank you for your courage to come out on Lyme, we are becoming a 'screaming' voice as my husband's story is similar and we are in the fight for his life with a LLMD out of NJ.... it was refreshing to see someone speak out in the Whig."

These people and many more is why I continue on...


May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month...Would you be so kind as to make a small donation to the non-profit organization I am passionate about, NatCapLyme Association, who raises money for Lyme Disease education, legislation, research, and patient support? I would very much appreciate it! In order to keep tabs on how much money we raise, please follow these directions to make a donation.

1.  Go to NatCapLyme.org's donation page.
2.  Click on Fundraising Event in the tab section.
3.  In the Select Event for Fundraising dropdown menu choose the bottom one...Arts By the Bay Gallery Ticked Off Lyme Disease Awareness Event.
4.  Fill out the rest of the form and submit!

Thanks so much for any help you could give. This really is a great organization. I attend the support meetings of my local chapter and they are champions of getting the word out in Harford County and beyond.

Be sure to come out and see me Friday, May 5th from 6PM-9PM at Arts By the Bay Gallery in Havre de Grace for the Ticked Off event. I will be showing my art, speaking about my journey through this disease, and we will also have lots of fun activities!

Baltimore Harbor- Digital Art by Tracey Grumbach

I have a love/hate relationship with Baltimore. At times it can be so pretty around the Inner Harbor area, full of life and fun. But much of the city is in disrepair and very dirty. I have many great memories in this city...the Hippodrome, Everyman Theater, Fort McHenry, Blasts games back in the day, the Aquarium and Science Center, etc. But honestly, when I drive through the city now I find it simply depressing. It feels like an old "has been" city with the infrastructure collapsing, the people fed up, and the town full of trash blowing down the street. I find it sad because there is so much potential if the government and the citizens would just care enough. I do love how the lights twinkle off the water at dusk...so this is my ode to Baltimore...the pretty side of the city...the side of the city I would love to thrive.

Have an amazing Friday, y'all. I will be working at Arts By the Bay Gallery from 11:00AM-2:30PM tomorrow, so swing in and say hello.

One week from tonight will be the opening reception of the spring show which I am Featured Artist for. I will be showing 42 pieces! I'd love to see everyone! But if you can't make it then, please be sure to come on May 5th to the Ticked Off Event! Things are coming together for that event very nicely! 

xo

Baltimore Brownstone- Urban Altered Photography by Tracey Grumbach

About this image: I hate being the driver, especially in the city. One of the reasons is because I love to have my camera ready to take interesting scenery out the passenger window wherever I am. When I am driving, obviously, I don't want to have my camera in hand taking photos. This particular image caught my eye while I was riding with my husband, my oldest son, and his girlfriend through Baltimore. I loved the light on these beautifully renovated buildings near the Inner Harbor, especially with the large winter-barren tree in front, obscuring some, but not all, of the architecture. It added a bit of mystery to it and I really loved the scene.

I will be heading home to Maryland today, flying out of Orlando after visiting Full Sail University with my daughter. Please pray for a safe trip for us. Thank you! Have a wonderful beginning to the week.  Hugs.

xo

Before the Snow Fell- Baltimore's Inner Harbor

About this image: The light was divine. It was a freezing cold morning, single digits, in Baltimore and here I was waiting for the National Aquarium to open. Snow was in the forecast, but it hadn't started yet. Everything had an early morning, just before the snow starts, stillness to it. The harbor was eerily quiet. I guess everyone was hibernating and conserving their warmth. As I walked around near the Aquarium to stay warm bundled in my winter coat, hat, and gloves (tears pouring down my cheeks from the coldness in the air), the small ripples in the water and the reflections in this scene caught my attention. That and the divine quality of the light. And so here is the result of that...an altered photograph that I love so much. I hope you do too.

I was at the Aquarium because my daughter had a dolphin encounter experience scheduled that we had given her for Christmas. She had to be there at 8:30AM but I was not allowed in the Aquarium until it opened at 10:00AM. So, I strolled around a bit until it started snowing when a security guard took pity on me and let me sit in the atrium area between the two sets of sliding glass doors for an hour. At least it was heated and I was nice and toasty until I could enter the building. After her experience was over (which she absolutely loved, by the way) and exploring the rest of the Aquarium together, we strolled over to the Inner Harbor Barnes and Noble store. We sat and had hot chocolate in the cafe area and chatted about her dolphin encounter. We both noticed out of the corner of our eye a man sketching us. He sat across the aisle from us with his sketchbook open and a pencil lightly gripped in his hand. He would glance up at us quickly and then sketch for a few seconds before glancing up at us again. This went on for a while and then he put his supplies away in a black leather bookbag and began getting his coat on.

Something inside of me told me to address the man, so I casually said to him, "So, you're going to leave and not show us the sketches you made of us?" Taken slightly off-guard (I don't think he realized we noticed he was sketching us), he hesitated. Slowly, a smile spread across his face and he said, "No," in a shy tone. I mentioned to him that I was a photographer and digital artist and I would love to see what he sketched. He smiled again and said, "It is only of shadows and shapes." I smiled back and said, "Ok." I wanted to respect his privacy. I know art is very personal and I didn't want to push.

But then the unexpected happened. He turned to Brenna and I, introduced himself as L.J. and said that he was a bit rusty in the arts because he recently got his vision back after being blind for 5 years. He went on to tell us that he had a very unstable eye disease that was out of control and he lost his sight due to tears in the cornea. Then, he said a miracle happened when new soft contact lenses were introduced and at the advice of his doctors, he tried them. They were able to improve his vision to 20/40 after not being able to see anything but light, shadow, color, and vague shapes for 5 years.

He stood next to us for a while and continued telling us that his wife had given him a sketchbook for Christmas and he had filled over 200 pages since then. He said he was very excited about being able to brush up his drawing and painting skills after being out of practice for so long. I told him that he had an incredible inspiring story and wished him well with his health and his art. He smiled and said, "My day had been made better for having met you. Some people in this world are nice but some people are horrible. It was a pleasure meeting you both." And off he went about his day, leaving a forever impression in my heart and mind.

It's pretty cool having encounters like this. It restores my faith in humanity and in miracles.

Meet L.J-

Have a beautifully blessed day!

xo

Baltimore

Anyone can love a perfect place. 

Loving Baltimore takes some resilience. 

~Laura Lippman

This view is a beloved one for me. For eight years my husband and I have had season tickets to the Hippodrome in Baltimore. About once a month, on a Friday night, we would venture down to the city, have dinner and enjoy whatever show was in town at the time. This view is from one of the upper floor windows of the Hippodrome. I loved arriving early and walking around the interior of the Hippodrome, admiring and being inspired by the architecture. I can't count how many hours over the years I have stood at those upper level windows gazing out onto the Baltimore streets and buildings beyond...sometimes bathed in golden sunlight, sometimes covered in cottony snow, and sometimes drenched in rain. Regardless of the weather, it was always beautiful.

I am a people watcher. I could easily sit in silence and watch the activity on the street, the birds roosting on the buildings, or the clouds gathering high above the harbor in the distance. 

Unfortunately, we have decided that we are not renewing our tickets this year, so I won't be able to see this view as frequently as I have in past years. I am sure we will get individual tickets to some shows, but we won't be going once a month. I'm glad I have this art piece to remember the fun times I've had there. 

This art piece is not in print yet, so if you would like to pre-order one of the limited edition prints, please use the contact button and let me know. I will be sure to order one for you.

Spiraling

Spiral staircase inside the Walter's Art Museum, Baltimore City, Maryland
Photographed with iPhone 6S plus

I probably shouldn't be giving an update on my Chronic Lyme treatment today because I just am not in a positive frame of mind. I was going to just skip writing this altogether but then I realized that I am entitled to be truthful; not whiny, but truthful.

So, here is the truth. I am not getting any better since the last update. In fact, I may even be worse. I am still in a plateau and that is so excruciatingly frustrating that some days I just want to give up. At the beginning of this journey, I was expecting to be completely better this far along in the process, so the fact that I am far from the end of this marathon is defeating. But, I can't give up. I have a husband, 4 kids, a mom, a brother, and friends that are relying on me and looking to me to be strong and keep going. So, here I am.

In January I began a few new things to try and help my healing along. I began a regimen with an outstanding and highly recommended acupuncturist. I have gone a few times and will continue to go once a week at least through January and then will reevaluate how often I need/should go. I also went for my first visit with a doctor that specializes in bio-toxins. She gave me a neurological assessment to see if the neurons in my brain were firing correctly or if neuro-toxins were interfering. The results were really terrifying for me as I didn't test well at all which means there is something still interfering with my brain function. She is also aware that I have a gene mutation for the MTHFR gene, which causes a sluggish detox in my body but doesn't think that is causing the whole issue. Clearly something either in my body (bacteria, parasites, or viruses) or in my environment (ie: mold) is still causing me issues with neuro-toxins, so she sent me for a whole new slew of blood work that won't be back for a few weeks. Hopefully the blood work will help us identify what specifically is causing the neuro-toxins and I will be able to eliminate them from my body/environment. In the meantime, I am continuing to eat whole organic foods, take my medications and supplements, and rest.

So, I am dealing with pain, word loss, brain fog, exhaustion, and the likes on a daily basis. I am not whining about it. I am just simply stating fact. I still get up every day. I still homeschool the twins every day. I still work every day (either real estate photos or art). I don't let it stop me, but it does slow me down.

I will continue to speak out, be truthful, and try to help more people who are in my shoes. Just this week I had another friend who reached out to me because she had a positive Lyme test. Because she has been following my story, she was suspicious about her symptoms and requested a Lyme test from her doctor. She was one of the "lucky" ones whose test came back positive on the first try. It is always bittersweet to hear someone say I am the reason they were diagnosed because while I am so glad speaking out and being public about this terrible disease helps bring the issue to everyone's attention, I never ever want anyone, even my worst enemy, to have to suffer. And those with Chronic Lyme suffer. Every. Single. Day.

It is my duty to pass on the knowledge I and others have accumulated through our research and our own journey. It is my duty to help others in this situation know they are not alone. It is my duty to keep trudging through to be a role model for others who want to give up.

One day I will blog about my biggest fears regarding this Chronic Lyme journey I am on. But for now, this is enough.

Beauty

This beautiful scene was taken at the Walter's Art Museum in Baltimore. The sculpture in the middleground is L'Amour et l'Amitie´, which translates to Love and Friendship. To read more about this sculpture, feel free to visit Walters Art Museum website.

My new fix lately has been listening to the podcast TED Radio Hour. Since I have 4 kids and a job that requires me to be in my vehicle a lot, I have become hooked on listening to audiobooks or podcasts via my iPhone hooked into my SUV speakers. It sure beats listening to most of the music stations in Baltimore which repeat the same 15 songs over and over and over again. But I digress. TED Radio Hour has so many interesting topics and I love the way they integrate many TED talks spanning years into one radio show united by a particular topic. If you have not had the opportunity to try it out, I highly recommend it.

One recent topic of the TED Radio Hour podcast was Beauty. It was fascinating to hear varying opinions about what beauty is, how we define it, and whether beauty is essential to our survival. These podcasts really open my mind and guide me to view topics from different views. Here is the podcast, Beauty, for your listening pleasure.


After listening to this podcast, which referenced the movie, The Soloist, I went to my local library and borrowed the movie. It was a very powerful movie based on the true events of an LA Times journalist becoming friends with a homeless man who was a Juilliard trained violinist. This movie, as well as the podcast, reinforced and opened my mind about the meaning and importance of beauty in our lives.

I hope this little peek inside the Walter's Art Museum brought a bit of beauty into your life today. Have a wonderful weekend.  xo

The River Walk

Walking along the river today, I didn't feel cold.  The thermometer said it was 23 degrees and there was still a breeze blowing off the water...remnants of the harsh, bitter, cruel wind that howled last night, ushering in the cold front.  Yet I was bundled nicely in my warmest and softest clothes, which kept me snug.  I thought about how lucky I was to be in this place at this time; able to walk with some (but not much) pain to where I could observe the frozen river before me.  True, I was exhausted.  Exhaustion seems to be the lingering enemy of this Lyme disease and while I felt fantastic for three weeks now, yesterday the bone deep tiredness came creeping back.  I was exhausted, but still able to make this short walk.

When I arrived at this spot I allowed all of my senses to be alive and take in the moment.  I noticed that it was particularly quiet and still...silence is so golden to me now when before Lyme silence was a heavy weight.  I also noticed the mixture of the warm radiance of the sun against by bare cheeks with the simultaneous bite of the cold wind that made my cheeks burn.  Ah, the burn of cheeks on a cold winter's day...it was a joy to have my body feel something from an outside element rather than pain coming from inside my own body.  I noticed the reflection of the sun off the frozen river that was hurting my eyes...so bright after days of grey and clouds.  It was so good to be there, even for a few minutes.  So glad I had this chance today.  While I was standing at the water's edge, I thought of my father, who so loved this area, this river.  I feel the closest to him near open water.  I vow to myself, before turning and walking back to my truck, that I must get out more often, even if it is for a short trek.  It makes me feel connected and alive.

Eutaw Street, Baltimore City

I went to the Hippodrome Sunday night to see 50 Shades,

the official parody of the book 50 Shades of Grey.

It was oh so hysterical

and

oh so inappropriate!

While I loved the show,

I loved being in the city even more.

I never ever want to move to the city,

as I am country girl at heart,

but I LOVE visiting and walking around.

There is something so invigorating about the 

noise, activity, and people.

Speaking of noise, if you look carefully,

on the far side of the road a fire truck is wailing up the street

the moment I snapped this image...

on my iPhone.

Yep, this is an iPhone image because they won't let you take a 

pro camera into the Hippodrome, of course!

I can't wait to have a chance to get back to Baltimore!