Meet Traci Z

Artist Bio:
Traci Zajaczkowski

In 9th grade, Traci Zajaczkowski made the decision to drop band and take an art class, forever changing the course of her life. For it was there that Traci met her High School Art teacher and mentor, Gene Youngmann, who taught her that purple creates a better shadow than black, and who helped foster her lifelong love of art. Now, Traci has been teaching art at the Elementary and Middle levels for 19 years in Grand and Boulder counties, and has enjoyed every moment of it. Traci loves seeing what her students come up with when presented with a new challenge, and thrives on helping them succeed.

Traci’s art focuses on colorful and detailed animal portraits. She loves the animals that roam in the beautiful state of Colorado and strives to bring their personalities out with vibrant colors and stylized details. Animals are magical. Traci wants to bring a little bit of that magic and joy back to the viewer. She works in mixed media, with a combination of colored pencils, markers, watercolor, and acrylic paints. In 2007, Traci earned her MA in illustration at Syracuse University.

Traci believes that whatever you do in the world, you should find a way to make the world a better place, and you should do it with passion. Traci is passionate about kids, art, animals, and the mountains. She strives to use her art and skills to partner with like minded organizations, to provide leadership and growth opportunities for kids, and to help keep the animals that she loves safe for generations.

Traci lives in Arvada with her husband, son and a mischievous Golden Retriever named Blue.