The author of Girl With a Pearl Earring began a year-long residency at York Art Gallery in January and this month sees the opening of her first exhibition A Thousand Words...

"As a writer you spend most of your time alone," says Tracy. "Apart from drafts going back and forth between you and your editor, it's a fairly solitary life.

"One of the great things about turning your hand to curating is that you get to bounce ideas off other people. Girl With a Pearl Earring was inspired by a Johannes Vermeer painting, so art has always been important in my life, but doing this has made me understand more about why I have certain reactions to certain pieces."

The exhibition, which includes rarely seen works by artists Harold Gilmer and Jack Butler Yeats, will also see the return of one of York's best loved paintings, Richard Jack's Return to the Front.

"I started by looking at the gallery's catalogue and just picking out paintings I liked or the ones which seemed to strike a particular chord," says Tracy.

"The biggest challenge was to stand back and let the paintings do the talking, however, the one idea I always had was to get the visitors involved.

"All paintings capture a specific moment in time, but what I've always found intriguing was what happened before and afterwards."

With the gallery walls now transformed into blackboards and pieces of chalk scattered around the gallery, visitors will be encouraged to provide those beginnings and endings as well as having the opportunity to tell Tracy what they think of her efforts.

"I know it's potentially a dangerous move," she laughs. "But it's just so exciting. As the days go by, the number of comments will grow and when the walls are full we'll wipe them down and start again. It means that although the paintings will stay the same, on any given day visitors will get a very different experience.

"I won't be around all the time, but I know I won't be able to resist emailing to see how it's all going. The one thing I hope is that it intrigues people."

As well as working on the exhibition, throughout her residency Tracy has given numerous readings, organised a short story competition and has turned her skills to writing information labels for some of the exhibits.

"I do think I've been incredibly lucky to have had such a beautiful place to explore," she says. "It's been an absolute pleasure."
n A Thousand Words, York Art Gallery, September 13 to January 4.