ABOUT

CERTAINTEES are tees of substance and artistic expression.

CERTAINTEES gives attention to important issues; social justice, freedom and independence, farming and local organic food, creative ideas as tools for peace and unity, alternative energy, and protecting our environment.

CERTAINTEES is a responsible earth and human friendly model where where every detail of creating a tee has been considered.

CERTAINTEES maintains a direction that is based on concern for our planet, our children's future, and the desire to exist in a sustainable and friendly world at this very moment.

WHAT IS CERTAIN?

We are born and eventually pass, in between we grow and change, leaving our influences to the generations that follow. The ability to change is our human right. The process of evolving should be courageous and fun. CERTAINTEES is a "project" concerning human nature and confronting our current need to adapt our habits dramatically and quickly in a world where our tools have become far swifter than our wisdom.

What is certain is:
- nature (our earth) is the infrastructure for life.
- our infrastructure is abused and we have grown detached from it.
- we are at a tipping point.
- there are people all over our globe making changes; many moving under the radar, yet resonating more broadly then we know.
- restoring our earth will need participation on a very wide scale.

Change is certain.
Life can be a work of art when each of us knowingly cultivates the agility of mind and emotion that transforms our ideas into reality.

--Lee Tracy, Artist and Founder, Certaintees; www.leetracy.com, World Rivers

HISTORY

In 1997 I bought a particular non-fiction book. Normally, I was inspired to read fiction because my mother hooked me on classics; a world of Dickens, Defoe, Bronte, Elliot, Hardy, Lawrence, Provost... many were stories of women whose lives were entwined with external situations cast upon them, yet upheld principle with dignity. I was deeply influenced by these characters.

The book I read in 1997 was The End of Nature by Bill McKibben. It shocked me. I cried. McKibben caused me to see into the landscape. In contrast to the writings of Blake, Yeats, Wordsworth, Keats and the observations of Adams and Muir (Victorian and romantic poets and American naturalists) I was faced with the feeling that I had totally missed out on true nature! And if so, what about the children that would follow me? I grew deeply concerned about the direction of things and the habits we embrace unknowingly.

The history of CERTAINTEES is rooted in questions; questions concerning the role of the artist in society, the way art can work, our potential to evolve through creative invention.

I am an artist and I work in a variety of mediums. I began inventing projects, in addition to painting, that investigates and reveals stories about land, trees, water and air. My first project was Red Trees, a project that provided me with a deeper understanding of the fragility of the natural resource of trees. My projects are long-term and conceptual, every detail must make sense and be connected in a small and large sense.

My mission for CERTAINTEES is to establish a new medium where the themes in my fine art are translated to reach a broader ear.

ORIGINS
I am active on ETSY and promote the hand-made movement; the alternative to big business and mass production. ETSY provides a loving community that presents the world as it can be. I started exploring with Look for Fiddleheads and use the old etchings from the collection (1832-1845) of The Penny Magazine: The Diffusion of the Society of Useful Knowledge that I got from my grandmotherr. I now show editions of my fine art and more of my wriitng here: Leee

PRAISE
First and foremost, I wish to thank the amazing women that influenced me, passed along their strength and wisdom to help guide me in becoming and inspired me to take passionate and inventive risks to explore possibility.

My grandmothers Sylvia Godfrey Street and Doris Campbell, my mother Helen Kathleen Tracy, and my mentors Diana Beliard and Diann DeWeese Smith (photo by www.ciurejlochmanphoto.com) are all unique and dignified women of strength.

Here are some members of the community whom I wish to thank in the startup of this concept:

Dennis Acker; Joan Baron; Leah Bohannon; Aimee Bravo; Phil Chang; Alex Clesen; Maryanne Colter; Leah Missbach Day and FK Day; Hillary Decker; Sherry Divito; Paul Donohue; Sheila Feinhandler; Nicolette Fendon; Anthony Foyd; Joel Fromer; Audrey Gale; Nicole Gordon; Pat Gray; Maria Grillo, Colin Grimmf; Sana Hakin; Lori Hammer and Phil Hammer; Jason Harvey; Gay Held; Val Hoffman; Jon Imerman; Dana Jasper; Tamra King; Mengdi Li; Justin Medard; Milijana; Charley Murphy; Joe Noderer; Ann and Mark Rattin; Ann Ream; Kelly Reaves; Micha Rowland; Sven Ruth; Cin Salach; Greg Sallyann; Liz Sarnik; Rich Scheafer; Gabrielle Schubart; Reshma Shah; Nan Sharp; Adam Sharp; Stephanie Thompson; Nicolette Verone; Frank Wiemerslage; Megan Williamson; Sheila Willis; Rhyan Uy; Zach Yarnof; Yunling Zhou.

Thank you all so much for your time and energy, supportive words and the wisdom that you so generously share. - Lee