Painting in progress by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 20″w x 10″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
I’ve been diligently working on a new painting in my In Our Veins series. I have not decided on a name yet, but it is a representation of the connection of all life to the natural world. The first layer of paint has been roughed in and I’m currently working on the horse, adding color, depth, and detail to the muscles and veins. It is an acrylic on canvas, 20″ wide by 10″ high. View more from this series here.
Installation view of paintings “Anonymous,” “Ascension,” and “On the Rise” all by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
This week is the last week of my exhibit at LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans. My series, In Our Veins, is on view in the Main Gallery of LeMieux now through September 24th. You can also catch Lee Deigaard’s series, Near and Far.
I’ve had some great response to this body of work, including a feature in American Art Collector Magazine’s September 2016 issue. And Paul Bentley of the New Orleans magazine, Where Y’At, gave me a great review stating: “…Her dreamlike landscapes with animal, human, and natural forms mixing and dancing with each other create beautiful images that seem to be more than just a mere neo-surrealist tribute to Dali or O’Keefe. Her paintings create a dialogue with her obvious predecessors and influences, but they retain an original, calming, eerie, and downright intelligent attitude to them.”
More information on this exhibit can be found on LeMieux’s website.
“On the Rise” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 10″w x 20″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Arise” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 6″ x 6″; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Stem” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 4″ x 4″; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
I’ve finally finished my large painting as well as a couple of smaller pieces. All three are the latest in my In Our Veins series. The first is titled On the Rise and is an acrylic on canvas, 10″ wide by 20″ high. This piece was created in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of animals in the Arctic. Next is Arise, also an acrylic on canvas, 6″ by 6″ square. The skull serves as a landscape for wild horses, linking humans and animals. Lastly is the latest addition to the smaller paintings, Stem, which is 4″ by 4.” The deer wears a wreath of roses, representing their connection to each other and all of nature. View all three paintings online here: On the Rise, Arise, and Stem.
The Frieze art fair in New York has a donkey on display as an “exhibit.” The “artist” is Maurizio Cattelan. The donkey is left standing around in an empty room with a chandelier above. What? This has no meaning, no message, nothing. The artist thinks it connects humans to animals. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead, this donkey is on display, an object for our entertainment. This is no different than going to a zoo, other than the pointless chandelier.
Many people are up in arms over the welfare of the donkey. Of course the show promoters argue that the donkey has it “good” and much better than being in a barn. Then again, are animals meant to just live out their lives in a barn?
This is not the first time animals have been used as “art.” Last year there were a dozen horses cooped up in a gallery. And in 2014, tortoises had i-Pads screwed into their shells for an “installation” piece by Cai Guo-Qiang. These are just recent examples that have made headlines. Unfortunately, there are others. In every one of these cases, the artists and the gallery owners all argue that the animals are fine and unharmed. There is no way that they can know this. They just issue some sanitary, generic statement to put the public at ease and go about their day. The animals are not their highest concern.
There is no reason why live animals should be used as art. If you were to replace the animal with a child, you would get a call from Social Services, so how is it any different for any other living being? There are ways to get your message across without using live animals. You’re an artist, get creative and figure out another way. I paint animals, I focus on our connection to the natural world, and I also deal with difficult issues such as habitat destruction and extinction, just to name a few.
If you really want to make a statement, how about going vegan? How about not supporting companies that test on animals? How about rescuing animals rather than using them? That’s a far greater statement than this so-called art.
I’ve just finished two new paintings in my In Our Veins series. The first is titled Ascension, an acrylic on canvas, 8″ wide by 8″ high. The second painting is part of my smaller series at 4″ by 4.” The title is Evolution and it’s also an acrylic on canvas. View the paintings online here and here.
“Ascension” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 8″ x 8″; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Evolution” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 4″ x 4″; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
I’m very excited to have 4 paintings accepted into the 2016 “Laluzapalooza” exhibit at La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. The exhibit opens March 4th through the 27th, with an opening reception on March 4th from 8-11pm. There will also be a closing reception on March 27th from 4-7pm. More information can be found here: http://laluzdejesus.com/laluzapalooza-2016/#more-17657.
“Dissociate” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 12″w x 6″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Vital” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 12″w x 6″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Entwined” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 6″w x 4″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Anonymous” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 6″ x 6″; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
“Sustain” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 12″ x 12″; (c) Amy Guidry 2016“Support” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 4″ x 4″; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2016
I’ve recently finished a couple of new paintings in my In Our Veins series. The first you may recall from the progress photos I posted here. The title is Sustain and it is an acrylic on canvas, 12″ x 12.” The next painting is another addition to the smaller $100 works at 4″ x 4″ and is called Support. View the paintings online here http://amyguidry.com/sustain.html and here http://amyguidry.com/support.html.
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Cover of Fourteen Hills, 22.1 issue, featuring “Equal” by Amy Guidry
I’m happy to announce that my work is currently featured on the cover and inside of Fourteen Hills: The San Francisco State University Review’s Fall issue 22.1. As seen on the cover is Equal, acrylic on canvas, 14″ wide by 11″ high. Details to their release party in San Francisco on December 15th can be found here: http://14hills.net/content/221-release-party.
“Dissociate” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 12″w x 6″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2015
I’ve recently finished some new work in my In Our Veins series. Dissociate is an acrylic on canvas, 12″ wide by 6″ high. Lately I’ve been exploring the “opposite” of many paintings in this series. Whereas in previous paintings, I relied on eyes and facial expressions to convey a sense of connection, these recent works show animals without faces or covered faces. Anonymity vs. connection- without seeing their faces, does that make them any less personable? Meaningful? And how does this apply on a global scale? These are some of the questions I’m working on with these and future paintings.
“Vision” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 4″ x 4″; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2015
“Equal” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 14″w x 11″h;Sold; (c) Amy Guidry 2015
I’ve just finished a new addition to my In Our Veins series. This painting is titled Equal and is an acrylic on canvas, 14″ wide by 11″ high. View the painting online here: http://amyguidry.com/equal.html.
