Works in Show
To be Updated After the Opening Ceremony
Artist Biography
Born and raised in Melbourne, Tracey has lived in New Zealand since 2007. She currently works from her easel beside the largest window of her family’s tiny home in Waipu, Northland. Painting since 2000 and working full-time as an artist since 2017, she has exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions across Australia and New Zealand. Predominantly self-taught, she also completed a Diploma of Visual Arts in 2006.
Coakley has been a finalist in numerous national awards, including NZPPA (2026), Craig’s Aspiring Art Award (2026), Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award Salon des Refusés (2025), Cleveland National Art Awards (2019) Special Mention (2021) Finalist (2023 & 2025), Arts Gold (2019), Tasman Art Awards (2019), and the Walker & Hall Waiheke Art Award (2020, 2021, 2024). Her accolades include Outstanding Artist at the Hibiscus and Bays Art Awards (2019), Supreme Winner at Kumeu Art Awards (2020), second place in 2021, and Supreme Winner in the Franklin Arts Award category Strength (2022), as well as the 2D Excellence Award at Frankly Small (2025).
Artist Statement
Tracey Coakley is a narrative oil painter based in Waipu, Northland, New Zealand. Since 2000, she has focused on figurative painting and portraiture, creating works that explore emotion, presence, and personal connection. Her subjects are often friends, family, and self-portraits, and she uses vibrant wet-on-wet skin tones, layered glazing, and patterned fabrics to build depth, texture, and atmosphere. Tracey has exhibited widely across Australia and New Zealand and has been recognized in numerous national and regional awards, including the NZPPA and Walker & Hall. Predominantly self-taught, she also holds a Diploma of Visual Arts (2006), balancing technical skill with emotive storytelling in her work.
Changes Within Me by Tracey Coakley
Tracey Coakley
Artist
