Tim Racer has been a professional artist for 20 years. He graduated from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit in 1984, and quickly earned accolades as a successful young illustrator in Chicago. Tim was well known for his keen color sense, fine craftsmanship and his fluid, stylized paintings.

Weary of advertising and editorial assignments, he began carving his illustrations into wood as he searched for a new way to express his love of form. This transition to three-dimensional art blossomed in 1993, when he began working with master carousel painter Pam Hessey of Hawk’s Eye Studio in Martinez, California. Here Tim learned the specialized craft of bringing priceless but battered antique wooden animals back to life for private collectors as well as those who love to ride our country’s precious working carousels.

Raised in a family of tree trimmers, and a former tree worker himself, Tim has a lifetime appreciation for his materials. His knowledge and understanding of wood has given him the necessary skills for piecing back together old and neglected carousel animals. Restoration is one of his specialties, but carving is his true love.

Tim has always surrounded himself with animals, and they are his favorite subject matter. Be it a small Chihuahua, a well-muscled pit bull or a statuesque great dane, Tim lovingly combines all of his artistic skills to create unique works of fine art that reflect the timeless beauty of our animal friends.

Tim Racer is a regular guest lecturer at the Annual Carousel West at Asilomar Conference in Pacific Grove, California. His restoration work of twelve 19th-century antique Dare carousel animals is on permanent display at the New York State Museum in Albany. Other public projects include carousels at the San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco Yerba Buena Center, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and Berkeley's Tilden Park. His original carving creations were recently highlighted in the spring 2004 edition of Bark Magazine.

Tim works on commission and can be contacted for estimates.