let's get to know each other
My name is Tracy Whiteside
I am an award-winning, internationally exhibited fine art photographer specializing in dark art and fantasy images. You can find me in Elburn, Illinois, outside of Chicago. My work has been printed in fashion, art, and literature publications, magazines, and on book covers.
Awards
2024 Argus Art and Literary Magazine, First Place Photography, "Gilded in Gold"
2023 Annual Photography Awards Honorable Mention in Fine Art Experimental
2023 Chromatic Photography Awards (Professional) Honorable Mention in Portraits
2023 Julia Margaret Cameron Awards
- Honorable Mentions in:
-Fine Art Category 2 Single Images Plus 1 Series
-Open Theme Category 1 Image
-Women Seen by Women Category Series
2023 Fine Art Photography Awards, Honorable Mention in:
- Honorable Mention in:
-1 Series
-2 Single Images
2023 Monochrome International Photography Awards, Honorable Mention
2022 WINNER, Artistic Category, Smithsonian Photography Contest
2022 Lucie Foundation Portrait Project Finalist
2022 Envision Arts, “Halloween” Exhibition, 2 Honorable Mentions
2022 Utopia Awards Art Finalist
2021 London Photo Festival October Winner
2021 Julia Margaret Cameron Award 2 Honourable Mentions
2021 Albe Art Gallery, Honorable Mention
2020 London Photo Festival December Winner
2020 International Photography Awards (IPA), Honorable Mention
2020 The Artist's Circle Gallery "America the Beautiful" Exhibition, Texas-Honorable Mention
Solo Exhibitions
2022 Darkwood House, Independence, MO
2021 “Shadowed Souls” Exhibition, Ghoulish Mortals, St. Charles, IL
Curator
2023 Obscurity Brewery, "Gallery of Shadows" Exhibition, Elburn, IL
Stock Photography
Adobe Stock
Getty Images
Dreamstime
Interviews
https://www.nunum.ca/blog/tracywhiteside
https://www.bubblestickcreative.com/featured-artists/tracy-whiteside
https://aestheticsofphotography.com/tracy-whiteside
https://gosolo.subkit.com/tracy-whiteside
Guest photography instructor for Side Street Studio Arts, Elgin, IL
List of Published Works
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 Curio Art Gallery, "Small Works" Exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal
2024 A Smith Gallery, "Sanctuary" Exhibition, Johnson City, TX
2024 Batavia Fine Arts Center, "Home" Exhibit, Batavia, IL
2023 Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center, “Dark Art 2023” Exhibition, Fort Myers, FL
2023 Envision Kindness Photo Contest, 2023
2023 Promoting Passion Exhibition, Dahlonega, GA
2023 Obscurity Brewery, "Gallery of Shadows" Exhibition, Elburn, IL
2023 Dark Parlour, "Spooktober" Exhibition, York, PA
2023 The Chateau Gallery, “In Dreams” Exhibition, Louisville, KY
2023 Morris Gallery of Contemporary Art, Marshall, MO
2022 Crete “Creative Halloween Horror Art” Showcase, Crete, IL
2022 Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center, “Dark Art” Exhibition, Fort Myers, FL
2022 Jacoby Arts Center, “Phantasmagoria” Exhibition, Alton, IL
2022 GalleryX, “Icons of a New Religion” Exhibition, Dublin, Ireland
2022 Side Street Studio, “THE LONG RED LINE” Exhibition, Elgin, IL
2022 Revolution Gallery, "Messages From a Secret Place" 2 Person Exhibition, Buffalo, New York
2022 Blank Wall Gallery, "Portraits" Exhibition, Athens, Greece
2021 Millepiani Exhibition Space "It's Magic. A Beyond Experience" Show, Rome, Italy
2021 Side Street Studio Arts "Something Wicked 2021" Exhibition, Elgin, IL
2021 Isacson Arts' "Dangerous Lullabies VII" Dole Mansion, Crystal Lake, IL
2021 Harley Clarke Mansion "A House, Haunted" Exhibition, Evanston, IL
2021 DePaul University Humanities Center "Horror of the Humanities IX"
2021 Side Street Studio Arts "Going Dutch" Festival, Elgin, IL
2021 Albe Art Gallery, St. Petersburg, Abu Dhabi
2021 Lacuna Festivals International Contemporary Art "Distance" Exhibition, Las Palmas, Spain
2021 The Stable Gallery, Worldwide-Instagram Exhibition
2021 NOMA Gallery, "Venus Rising" Exhibition, Ocala, Florida
2021 Art4All, "Spring Colors Show" Exhibition, Romania
2021 The Gallery by MUI, "Little Stories We Tell Ourselves" Exhibition
2021 Envision Arts Show, "For the Love of Art III" Exhibit, Texas
2021 Judgement Show, UK
2021 Revolution Gallery, "Mini Masterpieces" Exhibition, Buffalo, NY
2020 Los Angeles Center of Photography Public Gallery
2020 Arts for Illinois Visual Arts Gallery
2020 Artist's Circle, Orange Exhibition, Tyler, TX
2020 Sfumato International Online Art Exhibition by Arte Estetica and Artesse Gallery Italy
2020 Syzygy Art Collab, "Dark Art" Exhibition, Davis Art Center, Fort Meyers, Florida
2020 Tall Sequoia Gallery, "Abstract My World" Exhibition, Toronto
2020 Push/Pull, "In Toto Virtual Exhibition"
2020 Kentuck Museum and Gallery "Art to Make You Smile" Exhibition, Alabama
2020 National Council on Aging, Arlington, Virginia
2020 Happy Gallery Chicago, "Still Relevant" Exhibit, Chicago
2020 Marvelous Art Gallery, "Surrealism" Exhibition, Istanbul
2020 Revolution Gallery, "Mini Masterpieces" Exhibition, Buffalo, New York
2019 Loosen Art Int'l Group Exhibition "About Future" Rome, Italy
2019 Blank Wall Gallery "Fine Art" Exhibition, Athens, Greece
2019 Blank Wall Gallery "Black and White" Exhibition, Athens, Greece
2018 Water Street Studios Anniversary, Batavia, IL
2018 St. Charles Arts Fest, St. Charles, IL
Artist's Statement
WALK INTHE SHADOWS WITH ME
I'm Tracy Whiteside, an award-winning dark art photographer who captures the mysterious and disturbing side of things. My camera is a magic portal, turning regular scenes into dark and captivating stories. I do not use AI in my work. For me, photography is a superpower, making everyday moments into creations frozen in time. Each image has its own deeper meaning that will make you stop and reflect if you give it a chance. I want you to step into my world and feel something meaningful. Let my photos be a canvas for your imagination, where you can invent your own stories from the scenes I create.
Dark art allows us to “sightsee” the ideas that frighten us. Here, we can safely face our fears. Exploring the dark side also teaches us creative problem solving and coping skills. This type of art awakens a part of the imagination many of us rarely use.
I create nightmare-inspired art not only for these reasons, but also for our mental health awareness and healing. There is great comfort in knowing that you are not alone. My goal is to make you feel suppressed emotions, to look at yourself and others in a new way. The images are not meant to scare anyone. They are meant to reveal our inner struggles, release our inner demons, and provide acceptance for the ugly parts we don’t want to talk about. Because we all have them. To ignore our own dark side is to reject a part of us. If we do not delve into these areas, we invite them to fester in silence. The darkness can manifest as addictions, self-hatred, anxiety, and a host of other issues.
Inspiration comes from everywhere: movies, books, paintings, stories in the news. It all blends together in my work, guiding how I create the look and feel of the photographs. I see my images as an ongoing conversation with the world, always exploring the secrets hiding in plain sight.
In the next few years, I hope to explore a wider variety of styles and subjects. I want to evolve as an artist. I want to experiment. Being boxed into a particular style seems oppressive.
Let's go on a journey together. We'll explore the dark side and uncover the fascinating emotions that play out in the moments we often ignore. Walk in the shadows with me.