Tag Archives: surreal

New Work

"Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
"Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

Well, after several months of diligent painting, I have finally finished my latest work. The photos here don’t do it justice since this piece is insanely detailed and a fairly good size, so check out the larger pic on my website at www.AmyGuidry.com. This painting is from my “In Our Veins” series and is acrylic on canvas, 36 inches wide by 18 inches high. I almost forgot- the title is “Survival of the Fittest.” I’ve always been interested in the notion that one species will harm their own kind in order to survive. In addition, humans will use other species for their own survival, hence the cows. The cows that are falling (or jumping or floating- that’s the viewer’s call) are injuring the cows below them. They are reminiscent of the images from slaughterhouses I’ve seen of cows hanging from large hooks, while the cows below mimic those that have been skinned or butchered. To summarize, the entire image is surreal and maybe even a bit absurd, but I think many times the reasons we kill, be it animals or humans, are absurd.

If you would like to see this painting in person, it is currently at Wally Workman Gallery and will be part of their 30th Anniversary exhibit. The opening and blowout party is August 7th from 6-8pm at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX.

Coming this Summer

"The Black Plague" exhibit at The Congregation Gallery
"The Black Plague" exhibit at The Congregation Gallery

I have two shows coming up, well, one is this weekend (!!) and the other will be next month. I was delighted to know that my work was selected for The Black Plague exhibit at The Congregation Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. There is a rather impressive line-up of artists including Chris Peters, Buddy Nestor, and Karl Persson.  The show opens this Saturday, July 24th at The Congregation Gallery from 9-12pm.

Next month’s show will be at the Alexandria Museum of Art. I submitted for their 23rd September Competition and just received the good news yesterday. The juror for this year’s event is Kelli Scott Kelley. Ms. Kelley is an accomplished artist (I’m a fan of hers, so I really wanted to enter this show!) and a professor at LSU, Louisiana State University. There will be an opening reception and juror’s talk on August 27th from 6:30-8:30pm. The exhibit will be up through October 2nd.

If you would like a full list of my current and upcoming events as well as new work, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. The newsletter is sent monthly and I can promise that your email will not be shared with anyone (so you won’t receive any spam!). You can sign up on the contact page of my website- www.amyguidry.com/contact.html or send me an email.

Goings On

"Untitled (Heads)" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
"Untitled (Heads)" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

Many probably view summer as a time for a break… eventually I may get to that point. I’ve been switching gears from one show to the next and have a few blog appearances. And I’ve sold two older works that were the “last of their kind,” so to speak. If you’ve been following along, you may recall that I’ve just wrapped up a show with the Schepis Museum. I have three more events coming up, though, and they are right around the corner. First, my work will be in the 2010 Art Melt in Baton Rouge, LA at the Louisiana State Museum (July 15th is the Preview show). Next up is the 30th Anniversary Exhibition at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX (August 7th from 6-8pm). Then I will have work in the “Hot August Night” event at The Oak Street Gallery in Hammond, LA (August 20th from 6-10pm).

My work has recently been featured on several blogs and I recently did an interview for Innsmouth Free Press which will be up in August. Check out my work on Chainsaws and Jelly at http://www.chainsawsandjelly.com/2010/06/artist-amy-guidry.html and on One Surrealist a Day at http://onesurrealistaday.com/page/90 and Don’t Panic at http://sputniked.tumblr.com/post/704226904/untitled-heads. And be sure to check out my work on my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.

Art Melt 2010

"Fragility" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
"Fragility" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

I received news the other day that my work was selected for this year’s Art Melt in Baton Rouge. So looks like my new work is going to get some more exposure! The 2010 Art Melt will be held at a new venue this year- the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge, LA. The jurors for this year’s exhibit were Andrea Pollan, the Executive Director of the Curator’s Office in Washington D.C; Denny Mecham, the Executive Director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi; and Paul Dean, Associate Professor at the LSU School of Art in Baton Rouge, LA. The exhibit will open July 16th and remain up through August 28th. There will be a preview party on July 15th from 6:30-10pm.

For more information, check out their website at www.ArtMelt.org. And for more information on my work and to view my portfolio, visit www.AmyGuidry.com.

Another Piece of the Puzzle

Detail of work in progress- "Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
Detail of work in progress- "Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
Detail from "Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
Detail from "Survival of the Fittest" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

You may recall I posted a small piece of my latest work on here. Although it’s not finished yet, I do have a good chunk done to show you. This time it’s roughly one and a half feet wide. I’m calling this piece “Survival of the Fittest.” After all the hours and days and months (!) I’ve invested in this piece, I’m starting to think this is a test of my own fitness. I’m no quitter, though, so I will be posting the finished piece soon!

This will be my latest addition to my series, “In Our Veins.” BTW, you can also read more about this series on my website since I’ve recently added an artist statement. And for those of you who are wondering, this is an acrylic on canvas, 36 inches wide by 18 inches high.

So in the meantime, enjoy these detail shots of my progress and be sure to check out the rest of this series on my website www.AmyGuidry.com.

Currently Showing

Here’s a taste of my event photos from my show at the Schepis Museum in Columbia, LA.  More on my events section of my website www.AmyGuidry.com.  The show is a solo exhibit of my “New Realm” series and is up now through the end of June, so be sure to stop by if you are in the area.  The News Star, the Monroe local newspaper, also ran a short article about the show.  Read the article online at http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20100528/LIFESTYLE/5280303.

Special Request

Someone recently asked if I ever post photos of my work in progress. Technically yes, but it’s usually just a snippet of a painting. So I dug through some photos for this “photo diary” post of sorts since I actually documented my work on “Untitled.” So here goes:

The initial sketch on canvas for "Untitled"
The initial sketch on canvas for "Untitled"
Making the first mark with paint- very rough initial layer
Making the first mark with paint- very rough initial layer
First layer of paint complete
First layer of paint complete
Adding more layers to the sky and clouds, building it slowly
Adding more layers to the sky and clouds, building it slowly
One of my helpers sleeping on the job.  I inadvertently woke him up with the camera
One of my helpers sleeping on the job. I inadvertently woke him up with the camera
The sky is finished at this point.  More detail has been added to the ground and the cliffs.
The sky is finished at this point. More detail has been added to the ground and the cliffs.
Another helper- testing paintbrush durability
Another helper- testing paintbrush durability
Finishing details such as rocks have been added to the background
Finishing details such as rocks have been added to the background
Adding more layers and detail to the horse head and ribcage
Adding more layers and detail to the horse head and ribcage
Horse head and ribcage are finished, final details added.  More layers added to carcass.
Horse head and ribcage are finished, final details added. More layers added to carcass.
Detail shot of the finished horse head and desert cliffs
Detail shot of the finished horse head and desert cliffs
Finished painting- "Untitled."  (c) Amy Guidry 2010
Finished painting- "Untitled." (c) Amy Guidry 2010

“Untitled” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 30″w x 24″h

To view this painting as well as more of my work, visit www.AmyGuidry.com. And while you are there, if you’d like to be informed about new work and upcoming events, sign up for my monthly newsletter on my contact page.

August in Austin

Detail shot of work in progress by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
Detail shot of work in progress by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

I always enjoy my visits to Austin, Texas since there’s so much to do and so much to look at- it’s absolutely beautiful. And it just so happens that I am represented by one of their great galleries- Wally Workman Gallery. So this August, I will be in Austin for Wally Workman’s 30th Anniversary show. This will be a huge show, so it’s a good thing the gallery is large itself. All of the represented artists will be showing several new works. Add that up and it’s colossal. And let’s not forget- thirty years! This speaks volumes in the art world where- unfortunately- many galleries don’t make it two years, much less thirty. So in celebration, Wally Workman Gallery is having a show preview on August 5th in conjunction with First Thursday Artwalk. The blowout party and opening reception will be held August 7th from 6-8pm. And if you can’t make either of those evenings (or both!), the exhibit will be up through August 28th.

As for me, I have been toiling away on a new piece to submit for the show. It’s 3 feet long, so this is one of the biggest pieces I’ve done in this latest series of work. I have included a sneak peek- just a small portion of the painting. It’s not the best photo either since I took it myself.  Haha.   But it gives the basic idea… and of course I will be posting the painting in its entirety once it’s officially finished. So in the meantime, if you’d like to see more of my work, be sure to visit www.AmyGuidry.com.

Coming Soon!

"Special Ingredients" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
"Special Ingredients" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

Funny that I just wrote a post on how to get your work published,that I received some good news regarding my own art. I had submitted my work to Adbusters Magazine quite some time ago and the right opportunity has finally presented itself. It just so happens my painting “Special Ingredients” is the perfect fit for one of their features and will be in the July/August 2010 issue. (That’s it on the left!) More good news- my work will also be featured with an artist’s profile/gallery on the beinArt Surreal Art Collective. I’ve been a fan of this site for quite awhile now and am honored to be included among the many talented artists featured there. I don’t have an exact date on when my work will be posted, but I will let everyone know as soon as it is online. In the meantime, be sure to check out their site (the name is a link!) and also be sure to check out Adbusters- online or in the bookstore. And if you would like to see more of my work, visit my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.

Next Stop

"Freedom" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
"Freedom" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010

If you’ve been following my blog, you may recall awhile back that I was to have a show at the Schepis Museum in Columbia, LA. Well, since that show had been planned a year in advance, and a lot can happen in the meantime, there were renovations being made that turned into a bigger project than expected. So my show had to be postponed. Well, I am happy to say that the time has come and my exhibit will open next month at the Schepis. This will be a solo exhibition of my New Realm series. This series has been in several locations in Louisiana, as well as Austin and Las Vegas. No two shows have ever been the same since works are sold and replaced or new work has been added by the time another show opens. So on and so forth.

The exhibit will open next month- May- and be open through the end of June. With a two-month display time, this should give many of you a chance to see the work in person. I can’t stress enough that I have to use low-res, small images on the web (thanks to copyright infringement), so seeing my paintings in person is a whole other experience. The opening reception will be held on Sunday, May 30th from 2-4 pm.

Many works from the New Realm series can be seen online at www.AmyGuidry.com. While you are there, be sure to check out my Press section for an article in the current issue of Art Calendar Magazine about New Realm.