Meet Lacie Tucker | Artist and Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lacie Tucker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lacie, how do you think about risk?
I had a dance instructor that said, “fate favors the risky”, I heard this in my early 20’s and it is something that always stuck with me. I am not a believer that opportunities only come to you if you wait, sometimes you have to take risk and make your own. Some of the risk I have taken in life of just trying or getting out there have led me to the most beautiful destinations and to the most real people full of love and light.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
about my art: As an art educator, I love to dabble in all art forms with a variety of media but have been attached to painting as a vehicle of communication for my art. My paint of choice is acrylic and watercolor. My love for Pop Art shines through my current series. I use still lifes of flowers, plants, and food as a jumping off point. I enjoy experimenting with bold colors and thick gestural lines. My graphic style dances a line between abstract and naturalistic as well as iconic and observation.

Proud and excited about:
Ooo, I have a couple things..
I just had a show in this cozy little local gallery and floral shop. The waitlist to be featured is long, so it is such a treat to have my work up!
As cliche as it may be I am so proud of my students and being their teacher. I adore the “ah-ha” moments, problem solving, and their growth in all aspects. They inspire my work more than anything.
I am excited for my ongoing travels and commitment to art. I love to find any little gallery, art shop, and museum I can. Over that last year I have been painting mini/ micro watercolors of my travels, it’s such a great souvenir of my time.

How did I get to where I am:

Currently I am a full time art teacher, teaching k- 8th grade. My education background ranged from behavioral specialist, special education para and teacher to distant learning coordinator, though all of this I was still teaching art, I am so excited that I finally get to deep dive into a content I love and have such a passion for.
I graduated from MSU-Billings and have been lucky enough to participate in a study abroad. In ’22 I did a short residency in Italy where my focus was on creating lesson plans and art examples for my students based on global artists. As well as creating work inspired by plant life and architecture for my own practice. I am the first of my family to graduate college and it has been my mission to be the kind of teacher I needed when I was in school. The journey has been far from easy, but I have a super fantastic partner in my husband (we have been with each other since we were in middle school) so together we are living a humbly good life due to hard work.

Lesson I have learned along the way:
Always find the humor in life it will make hard thing a bit more bearable.
Having a small circle (of people in your life) can be just as powerful as a large one.
People you love deserve your time.

What I want the world to know about me is that I believe art is for everyone and everyone should have some weird art in their life. You (the viewer/ reader) get to be the judge of what weird is. 😉

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I absolutely love to support local when I can! We are pretty lucky to have such a selection of local eateries. For breakfast some of my favorite spots are the Sassy Biscuit and Great American Bagel. There is cute new restaurant in Laurel, the small town I live in called The Cracked Egg, it’s great for home cooked style dishes. Some other places my husband and I frequent include CJ’s bar and grill and Sumou Sushi food truck. Yes, sushi from a food truck; it is fresh and flavorful, it is the absolute best. Some of my favorite local shops include the most amazing gift and retail shop Liberty and Vine (go say hi to Jason and Amy!), my bestie’s neat and creative booth The Faux Fluer at MarketPlace 3301 (a mix of vintage and found objects from so many different vendors), and Art’s Paper and Paint a small professional art supply store with the most delightful owner Sara.
There are lots of great little trails and pocket parks all over to catch a little break and do some paintings in, one of my favorites well-kept little spot is up by the college in the Peaks to Plains Park outside of the library. If you stopped by for a visit with you best furry friend, we would all go to Sundance Recreational area, dogs get to go off leash and my two girls love it!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many who have made me the teacher, artist, and person I am today. One teacher I want to shout out is Allen Audet, he was my welding teacher in high school. I was so impressed with the way that man could hop into any booth, situation, and weld and help a student out. It was incredible that he was so skilled in his field and offered so much knowledge. I strive to have to have his passion and skill. I would like to dedicate my shoutout to the three biggest supporters; Matthew Tucker my partner in all I do, so many projects happen with his help, Bek Schatzke my best friend and loudest cheerleader, and my mentor Julie Kovatch she was a huge influence during my college years and continues to be an encouraging friend.

Website: mtarteducator.com

Instagram: @mtarteducator

Facebook: @mtarteducator and Lacie Tucker