Local artist adorns historic O’Fallon building with a perfectly imperfect message

A chance meeting with artist Alex Tracy at June’s in Shiloh has led to a cheerful message mural in downtown O’Fallon.

The new addition to the downtown district was installed recently at The James on State, 115 W. State St., which is a renovated historic building available for rent to business entrepreneurs.

Building owners Alex and Natalie James first brightened downtown with art in August 2020, when a “Spread love, not germs” message mural adorned their newly rehabbed building’s west side.

This time, local artist Alex Tracy was enlisted, after the James’ met him this summer, and he used ideas from his own work. He goes by “Ace Trace Art.”

“He was just there doing art having coffee and we struck up a conversation. We liked his work, and his values aligned with ours so we knew it would be a great fit,” Natalie James said. “We are proud to have this one on The James on State building in O’Fallon. I look forward to doing a lot more work with Alex in the future.”

His ‘Worry Less, Love More” design is capturing people’s attention. It’s part of his “Imperfect Hearts” series that he has been working on this past spring and summer.

“The overarching theme is that people are unique and are not perfect. People have been through things in their lives and have been hurt and scarred, but still manage to have beautiful and caring hearts,” Tracy said.

“You don’t have to be perfect to love or to be loved. And most important to love yourself and your dreams,” he said.

When he met Alex and Natalie, the piece he was working on sparked conversation.

“We talked about that idea and how important it is to be kind and how important it is to love yourself, love others,” Tracy said.

“We also talked about how often we over worry about things we can’t control, and we worry about what people will think about us. Worrying brings fear and doubt. Love brings joy and strength. So why not help each other and lean into loving more and worrying less?” he said.

James said she not only loved the design but the thought behind imperfect love.

“No one is perfect, yet we find a way to love each other and help one another out. We also all need to worry less and love more. And the thought of love being currency is so true. The bright vibrant colors are also very eye-catching and overall, it’s just a great design,” James said.

She said they received positive feedback in 2020 after the first mural went up downtown.

“It made moving forward with our plan a no-brainer. We did some drafts with Alex to fine-tune it, and it didn’t take very long since he has such a distinct style. It worked out great,” she said.

“So far, we have had great feedback. Everyone is happy to see hand-painted art in the downtown district done by a local artist.”

Tracy said he had help from his wife Kristine in painting the mural, and Natalie came by to assist, too.

“Natalie and Alex really made this all come together, and they really want to grow the community and bring people together and they have more things coming in the future,” Tracy said.

James said she and her husband wanted to thank the city and Downtown District for their support, and for their revitalization efforts.

“We are very excited about downtown. We look at the ways they are building up downtown, how it’s coming back to life, and we want to be a part of it too,” she said.

James said she hopes that more art will become part of downtown. She would like to see her spot becoming a revolving display.

“My hope and intention with the mural is that it will become a project that is changed out every few years by a local artist,” she said.

Tracy said he was happy with the mural’s outcome.

“I hope to have plenty more in O’Fallon and St. Louis. I would really like to help bring a more vibrant and colorful feel to O’Fallon and bring out the creativity of this place that I grew up in. So, I hope more local shops and businesses reach out to me and want to collaborate,” he said.

He is now back in the area after living in Chicago for the past decade. Tracy, whose dad was in the military, said he grew up in England and O’Fallon, and his cultural experiences helped him cultivate a unique eye.

He has a passion for urban and street art and believes in fueling hopes and dreams as an adult. “Welcome to the world of dreamers,” he states on his website, www.acetraceart.com

Future plans include a possible gallery showing, and being part of winter and spring festivals, as well as a few fall flea markets, he said.

Besides his website, he is on Instagram @acetraceart and https://dot.cards/acetrace.