“Beginning” by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series; SOLD; Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
For those of you who do not get my newsletter (Sign up at www.AmyGuidry.com), I thought I should mention my next solo exhibit. Yes, I have lots of shows coming up and in progress, actually, but this is the next solo. It will be in Las Vegas at the newly christened Henri & Odette. Originally the show was going to be at Jennifer Marie Gallery, but they are moving to a larger location and have changed their name in the process. The opening will be September 12th from 6-8pm. And yes, I will be there.
So if you’d like to take a trip out to Vegas, what better reason than to see my new show. And feel free to invite anyone you know in the area. I’ll be showing my New Realm series, so some of those you may have seen before, but there will also be new work in that series on display. And yes, I will have more of the smaller pieces that everyone loves because they’re so cute and collectible. Hee hee.
I’ll be posting more details about the show as they arise. Keep your eyes out for more information on shows in my newsletters.
I have been invited to exhibit my work in “Ameri-Dreaming: Art & American Culture.” The show is scheduled for October 8- 31, 2008 in the Claypool-Young Art Gallery at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY.
I will also participate in “Circus Show and Other Atrocities” this coming September. My work will be featured among 60 other invited artists from the US, UK, and Canada. The show will be held at A Bitchin’ Space in Sacramento, CA.
My painting “Cedric” is now in the permanent collection of the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings, LA. “Cedric” is part of the Louisiana artists collection, which will be a traveling collection, and includes work by renowned artists Clementine Hunter and William Tolliver. The piece is from my portrait series and features local Grammy-nominated musician Cedric Watson.
I was also selected for inclusion in the Art Melt 2008. The juror is Sean Ulmer, curator of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. The show will be held from July 11- July 22nd at the Brunner Gallery in the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, LA. The opening reception will be held Friday, July 11th from 6:30 to 10pm.
Be sure to check out my piece in the Southern Open Juried Exhibit at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in downtown Lafayette, LA. “Anti-Aging” was selected by juror Peter Frank, an art critic and art historian, who frequently writes for LA Weekly. My work was one of 105 selected from over 770 entries across five Gulf states. You can view photos from the opening reception at http://AmyGuidry.com/slideshow.htm
My New Realm series will be featured at the Jennifer Marie Gallery in Las Vegas, NV. The solo exhibition will be on display this coming September. The opening reception will be Friday, September 12th, from 6-8pm.
Publications:
My work is featured in Volume I of the premier issue of Studio Visit Magazine. Photos of my selected paintings and information about the publication can be seen under the Press section of the Amy’s website.
In addition, my work was selected for the fall edition of Studio Visit Magazine to be published this year as well. The juror was Carl Belz, Director Emeritus of The Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University.
I have recently been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who of American Women. My biographical information has also been updated in Marquis Whos’ Who in the World for the upcoming 26th edition.
Issue 8 of Indie Arts- The DVD Magazine features me as one of their four gallery artists. You can see more at http://www.IndieArtsDVD.com.
Television:
If you’ve been watching MTV’s Real World Season 20 Hollywood, you’ve probably noticed my work in the background. My painting “United Isolation” can be seen outside the “telephone room” where the houseguests make their scandalous calls. And take a look at the bathroom mirror reflection because you’ll see it in there as well. You can view new photos from the show at http://www.AmyGuidry.com/press.htm
Just a "few" of the guests that arrived when we first got there.
Well, if you weren’t there, you must have been the only person NOT in attendance at the Southern Open this year. The Southern Open 2008 is the second juried exhibition held at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in downtown Lafayette. Last year it had a good crowd and a good number of entries, but this year was overwhelming. Perhaps word has started to spread. Who knows. Regardless, the place was packed, you had to practically yell to be heard, and there were nearly 800 entries (and that’s from only the 5 states allowed to participate). Yowza.
Amy Guidry with juror Peter Frank, art critic and art historian and my painting "Anti-Aging"
As stated in my last post, the juror was Peter Frank, art critic, art historian, and writer for LA Weekly. I had the opportunity to meet him and get my picture taken. The show was very diverse, and as he stated, juried shows allow him to choose a wide range of work as opposed to a typical curated show with more of a direct focus. Makes sense. I appreciate that his taste is eclectic. Sometimes juried shows will favor a particular style, depending on the juror, but this one had variety. Maybe it’s the secret ADD person in me, but I often prefer shows with diverse works. It keeps me interested. I love to see how they all fit together even though they were created by different people.
Amy Guidry, Ralph Bourque and Troy Dugas with his work
Alas, my work did not win any awards, but it was chosen. I’m more than happy to say that. And it was amongst some great work, so I was happy to be in their company. I did think it was placed a little low on the wall, which Peter Frank agreed, so you may notice this in the photos. I guess they had space issues because a lot of pieces were grouped together one above the other.
"Anti-Aging" by Amy Guidry; 30"w x 24"h; acrylic on canvas
In an attempt to get my readers out there viewing my work in person, I want to inform you of two shows I will be in this Saturday. As you may or may not know, this Saturday- May 10th- is the 2nd Saturday Artwalk in dowtown Lafayette. In addition to the usual gallery openings, the AcA will unveil the Southern Open 2008, their juried exhibition featuring works from 5 Gulf states. The show was juried by Peter Frank, an art historian and art critic, who frequently writes for LA Weekly. There were over 770 entries and 105 works were selected. One of my paintings, “Anti-Aging,” is featured in the exhibit.
The opening reception starts at 6, in conjunction with the Artwalk. Peter Frank will be in attendance and is scheduled to give out awards at 7pm. I will definitely be at the exhibit, so feel free to say hi or offer me some free porn or acne medication as do my spam fans.
"New Realm" by Amy Guidry; SOLD; acrylic on 100-yr. old ceiling tile
Also scheduled during the Artwalk is the Heymann Historic Ceiling Tile Project and Exhibit. The exhibit will take place at Galerie Lafayette (located in Jefferson Street Market). My tile, “New Realm,” will be on display. My tile has actually already sold, but its new owner has graciously obliged to leave the tile up for the exhibit before it is shipped to its new home in Montana. So this will be my last chance to say goodbye, and your final opportunity to see my work in person.
I will be running back and forth between the shows and checking out the other gallery openings while I am there. Please stop by! Artwalk is from 6-8ish, depending on the crowds. You can see for yourself why so many people say my work looks even better in person.
"Release" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 36"w x 48"h
Shows:
My New Realm series will be on display at the Zigler Museum in Jennings, LA from March 15th through May 10th. An artist’s reception will be held on March 29th from 6-8pm.
Currently my auction piece for the Heymann Historic Ceiling Tile Project & Exhibit is on display at Gallery 912 in the Oil Center in Lafayette, LA. This is a traveling exhibition which will be at the Big Easel event in River Ranch this coming April. More details to follow.
You can view photos from the Heymann Historic Ceiling Tile Exhibit opening reception and my recent solo show at the AcA at http://www.amyguidry.com/events.html. Thanks to everyone who attended!
My New Realm series will be featured at the Jennifer Marie Gallery in Las Vegas, NV. The solo exhibition will be on display this August.
Publications: Studio Visit Magazine’s feature on my work will be out this month. It will be available at major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble. Be sure to check it out.
The Times of Acadiana did a great interview about my New Realm series. The issue is no longer available, but you can read the article at http://www.amyguidry.com/press03.html.
You can now order Art Buzz The 2008 Collection direct from MidAmercia Publishing Company. Go to http://www.artbuzz.org/book.html to order. I was selected as their First Place winner in acrylic painting.
I was recently been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who of American Women. My biographical information has also been updated in Marquis Whos’ Who in the World for the upcoming 26th edition.
Television: Be on the lookout for my interview with Randall Mann on Cox 4 Acadiana. It should air sometime next week and will be on intermittently between later segments. The interview took place at the AcA and features my New Realm series.
I have a three-person exhibition coming up at the Zigler Museum in Jennings, LA this month. The show opens March 15th, 2008 and there will be an artists’ reception on March 29th from 6-8 pm. The work I have on display is from my New Realm series. For anyone who missed my show at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, this is their chance to finally see my new work in person. Photos just don’t do the work justice and people comment on how different it is to see the work up close. So please don’t miss out on this opportunity!
This is my first official blog, so I guess an introduction is in order. My name is Amy Guidry. I’m a professional artist in Lafayette, Louisiana. To spare you from all the biographical details of my life, you can simply go to my website www.AmyGuidry.com to read all about my work and accomplishments. I wanted to write a blog because there’s a lot about my work and the inner workings of the art world that I would like to discuss, but don’t exactly have the opportunity to do so on my website. I hope that this will lead to viewers’ interest and participation.
So to start, one topic that comes up often concerns my recent series, “New Realm.” People often ask me what the series is about, which I assume is because they bypassed my artist statement hanging on the gallery wall, but for those who are still wondering… The series is my take on fairy tales, but with a modern twist. Instead of portraying the woman in the series as a damsel in distress, she is the heroine. Taking on her challenges and proving herself to be independent and courageous. I wanted to approach this work from a, dare I say the f-word…feminist…standpoint. And by feminist, I don’t mean that I am some sort of man-hating, bra-burning femi-nazi, I mean that for once, I would like to see a story portray a woman as the hero. Let me clarify that by adding it should be believable, too. Yes, I am aware that women can be the hero in many stories, but often they are seen wearing little more than a bikini and a machine gun. My hero is fully-clothed, thank you, and in control (no weapons necessary). Her mental and emotional strengths are the only weapons needed.
“My” fairy tale takes place throughout the body of work. While there is a beginning and ending of sorts, the rest of the story can be viewed in no particular order or on an individual basis. The premise of the story can be found in each painting since the overall theme carries throughout.
I should wrap this up before my blog becomes a novel. I welcome anyone’s thoughts on this or other art topics of interest. You can respond to this blog or if you’d rather not let the world read your message, you can email me at mail [at] amyguidry [dot] com.
