AMY WRIGHT
botanical essence
First, let me start by saying, thank you so much for sticking with me these past several months! Life has repeatedly derailed this little passion project of mine, but I’m determined to get back into a routine with it! Finding a balance between being an artist, mother (full-time in the summer, ahh!), and writer has been no easy task, and I’m looking forward to falling back into the routines of fall. Writing An Eye for Art brings me so much joy, so rest assured that it will be back with more regularity soon! In the meantime, please enjoy today’s post, and if you’re curious about what else I’ve been doing all summer, I’m releasing a series of new paintings today at noon, here.
Back to the matter at hand, the enchanting work of Australian artist Amy Wright!
Amy grew up drawing and creating, but her path to becoming an artist was a bit circuitous. After studying sculpture and textiles at university, Wright found herself in the automotive industry for nearly a decade working on “color and trim” (think interior design for cars). Wright eventually transitioned to floral design, creating arrangements for weddings and events.
You might be thinking, “ok, I can see the floral influence, but the auto industry seems like a departure” and I wouldn’t blame you, BUT I think we see some of the influence of her time designing cars in the thoughtful arrangements within her work, balanced hues, and layers of texture. In her own words, “I build up my canvases, with textural elements like straw, sawdust, and heavy application of paints. Textile Design has definitely informed my use of mixed media, always playing with layering the painting surface, using varied mediums to create a different look, different mark making and patterning. Floristry provided the subject matter and has made me very aware of colour - the subtle shifts in nature.”
You may have gathered by now that Wright’s paintings are all inspired by her surroundings. I particularly love this description of the work from her artist’s statement, “Wright has a preoccupation with capturing abandon[ed] landscapes; the discarded, ignored and untamed. Each canvas is it’s own Wunderkammer, holding a world that morphs reality with imagination and myth; plants are depicted wildly and landscapes are tiered and towering with obscured horizon lines.”
The work gives me a new appreciation for the beauty of my less-than-perfectly-manicured garden. I find myself reflecting on time spent wandering overgrown landscapes as a child and what mysterious beauty they contain. Sometimes true beauty requires a little more chaos, less perfection.
Translating that natural beauty into one of her lovely paintings takes preparation though. Each landscape is carefully investigated and requires the artist to study and document her subject: “It all starts with my camera. I take copious amounts of photos; generally of close up details and colours in the landscapes, which I take back to the studio. From there my work always starts with drawing - sketching out details and exploring textures and patterns, using different materials and mediums. Nothing is off limits at this stage. Its about interpreting details of the photos and piecing them together to form new visual landscapes through colour, texture and pattern. As I work in many mediums, its knowing what layers need to go down first, and how to layer the mediums to create that finished texture or colour. Often the painting that was there to start, is completely covered by the end. The layers themselves create part of the story. Often I have no real plan for a painting, outside of perhaps a colour scheme or a general theme. I just put marks down and they then inform the next layer and so on and so on.”
I absolutely love the idea of these wild paintings being the result of careful investigation. Wright studies each garden so carefully and then lets loose to create these beauties. I loved the work before but learning more about the artist and her inspiration and process really makes me love it so much more! I hope the same is true for you as well :)
If you’d like to know more about Amy Wright start here, and also be sure to follow Amy on instagram at @amywrightstudio
Let’s talk more soon, and as always, I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!