Quail Bell Magazine- Interview with Artist Amy Guidry
I recently did an interview for Quail Bell Magazine which is now online. Editor Christine Stoddard wrote the article, “Vegan in Sportsman’s Paradise: Surrealist Animal Artist, Amy Guidry” which you can read online here: http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/3/post/2012/08/interview-artist-amy-guidry.html. Also be on the lookout for my painting The Wild West in their print issue!
I still can’t get over the amazing turnout at the Hilliard Museum the other night. The opening reception for Louisiana Voices: Six Artists Speak to Us was this past Friday. The exhibit looks great and I will be going back just to finish looking at everything. It was so busy and packed that I did not get to check out all the art. I do have photos to share of the event opening and will be posting more to my website soon. The exhibit is up now through December 8th at the Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, LA. Also of note: an exhibition panel discussion will be held on September 29th from 2-4pm.
Artist Amy Guidry with her work at the Hilliard Museum
Installation view of Louisiana Voices: Six Artists Speak to Us; Sculpture- Lisa Osborn, Paintings- Linda Trappey Dautreuil (left), Amy Guidry (center and right)
Artist Amy Guidry discusses work with viewers at the Hilliard Museum
Artist Amy Guidry and Mark Tullos, Director of the Hilliard Museum
"Perspective" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 4" x 4"; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2012
My painting Perspective has found a new home. Perspective is another painting from my In Our Veins series and is a 4″ x 4″ acrylic on canvas. These tiny hare heads required some tiny brushes with barely there bristles. I always like a challenge, though- it keeps me on my toes. If you’ve been following my work, you may have come to that conclusion… So if you are new, this series deals with the connections between all life forms and our role in the life cycle. I feel that environmental issues as well as animal welfare are a large part of that discussion as they go hand-in-hand. With this in mind, many of the animals in In Our Veins are depicted as just heads or limbs, such as the hares in Perspective. While thinking of animals as simply parts and a means to an end is a common view, I see them as sentient beings and a significant part of the world we live in. While I depict them as ‘missing pieces,’ I focus on the expressiveness of their eyes and faces to relay their importance. You can learn more about the series as well as view the paintings at this direct link: www.amyguidry.com/wild_west.html.
Also of note: if you are in the Lafayette area or planning a visit, you can see works from my In Our Veins series in person at the Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum starting September 15th through December 8th.
"The Pack" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 20"w x 10"h; (c) Amy Guidry 2012
Quick post today: As you may know, the Hilliard Museum exhibit that I will be in opens on the evening of the 14th. There is a press release online which gives a bit more information about the artists and the show itself which I thought everyone might enjoy. You can read the article at: http://museum.louisiana.edu/news/Louisiana-Voices-Six-Artists-Speak-to-Us. The exhibition runs September 15th through December 8th at the Paul & Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, LA.
“Fragmented” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 8″w x 6″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2012
It’s business as usual for me today, though I have to admit that I’ve got the weather channel on in the background as I wait for Isaac. So while we still have power, I wanted to post my latest painting- Fragmented, acrylic on canvas, 8″w x 6″h. The initial image for this actually came to mind while I was starting to fall asleep. The common notion that animals are a means to an end and nothing more than “parts,” I felt that the horse faces and hooves illustrated this concept while at the same time focusing on their importance. Despite the relatively small size, I really honed in on the details in the horse faces and eyes, making them as expressive as possible. View a larger image here: http://www.amyguidry.com/fragmented.html.
"The Wild West" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 24"w x 30"h; (c) Amy Guidry 2012
You may recall awhile back my mention of this upcoming exhibition. It has been scheduled for close to a year and now the opening is right around the corner! Louisiana Voices: Six Artists Speak to Us will be held at the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, LA as part of the Louisiana Bicentennial. A couple of artists have been added since that early post so the featured artists are Melissa Bonin, Linda Trappey Dautreuil, Troy Dugas, Amy Guidry, Lisa Osborn, and Marjorie Pierson. The exhibition will open September 15th with a reception the night before on September 14th from 6-8pm.
The exhibition will remain up through December 8th, so there will be plenty of opportunity to see the exhibit even if you miss the opening reception. I should mention there will also be an exhibition panel discussion on September 29th at 2pm. For more information about the exhibit visit: http://museum.louisiana.edu/exhibitions.
I recently got another piece to add to my own art collection. This one is by Alli Bratt, a fellow vegan artist in Portland, called In, Out, and Upside Down. It’s an acrylic and watercolor on wood, 1 7/8″wide x 11 5/8″high. As a vegan myself, I especially want to support other vegans and as an artist, I want to support those that are also artists all the while enjoying my new purchase. I have yet to put it in its “official” spot, as I have big plans to paint walls and arrange other works with it, but I’ve posted a photo of the painting which you can view below. And you can check out more of Alli’s work on her website: http://allisonjbratt.com/.
"In, Out, & Upside Down" by Alli Bratt; watercolor and acrylic on wood; (c) and photo courtesy Alli Bratt 2012
This summer has been incredibly busy to say the least. I’ve had to miss out on openings for shows because I’m already at the opening for another. I suppose these are the moments I could use a stunt double… At least I can vicariously enjoy the Wally Workman Gallery opening for 100 Degrees thanks to the photos. The exhibit is up now through September 1st and features new work by several of the gallery’s artists. One of which being mine… you may recognize this painting from an earlier post. You can also view it here: www.amyguidry.com/succession.html.
"Succession" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 6"w x 12"h; photo (c) Wally Workman Gallery
"Symbiotic" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 11"w x 14"h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2012
Another painting from my In Our Veins series will have a new home. Symbiotic is an acrylic on canvas, 11″w x 14″h. There is a good bit of history to this piece- for starters, it comes from one of the original sketches I did in the early stages of the series. Because I do these sketches while I am currently working on other paintings, it can be quite some time before they come to fruition. Needless to say, I have lived with the concept for Symbiotic for awhile. Also, it was this year’s Best of Show winner in the Surreal Salon held at the Baton Rouge Gallery Center for Contemporary Art. As a result of my win, it was featured in ads in both Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose magazine. I’m happy that it will be in good hands and joining a fantastic collection of work.
Chased magazine feature: Phantastic Images by Amy Guidry
I’m a little late in posting about this but my work was recently featured on Chased, an online arts magazine based in Berlin. The feature includes many of my recent paintings from my series In Our Veins. Editor Sandra Ratkovic said of my work, “We like her surreal, very contemporary paintings showing animals and nature in a dreamy surroundings, sprinkling with an almost smart cruelty. That definitely makes you think about the pictures´ meanings. We ask ourself who did this to the animals, and what do they stand for.” To view the feature, go to this direct link: http://www.chasedmagazine.com/2012/07/gallery-phantastic-images-by-amy-guidry/.
