I recently attended the opening reception for Rivers at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX. My painting “Synergy” is featured in the group exhibition as well as many other works by the gallery’s represented artists. I’ve posted a few photos from the event, but you can view the entire album at www.AmyGuidry.com/events.html.
After waiting for the (delayed) results, I’ve finally received word that my work was accepted into the upcoming Art Melt at the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge, LA. My painting “Trophy” (from my “In Our Veins” series) was selected. The jurors for this year’s competition were Rachel Wolff (Brooklyn-based critic, writer, and editor); Benjamin Hickey (Curator, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA); and Kelli Scott Kelley (Artist and Associate Professor of Painting, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA).
There will be a Preview Party on July 14th from 6:30-10pm in which there will be an open bar, food prepared by Heirloom Cuisine throughout the entire evening, and live performances by the band King James and the Special Men and Of Moving Colors dance troupe. Tickets are available through www.ArtMelt.org. The opening reception will be July 16th from 5-10pm and is open to the public. The exhibit will be up through August 28th.
For a close-up view of “Trophy” as well as my other paintings, visit my website at this direct link: www.amyguidry.com/trophy.html.
I’ve received more good news recently- my work was selected for inclusion in the 54th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the VACI (Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution). The juror for the exhibit is Jim Kempner of the Jim Kempner Gallery in New York City. My painting “Renewal” from my New Realm series was selected and it is an acrylic on canvas, 48″ wide by 24″ high. The exhibition will take place in the Strohl Art Center of the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. There will be an opening reception held on Sunday, June 26th from 3-5pm. The exhibit will remain on display through July 14, 2011.
To view more of my work, visit my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.
Today marks the opening of “Insatiable: Our Rapacious Appetite for More” at the Kniznick Gallery located in the Women’s Studies Research Center of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. I’m excited to be a part of this show as well as showing at such a prestigious university. The opening will be next month, but the exhibition is up as of today. Sometimes it’s nice just to go to a show before the opening (i.e. crowds) to get a good look at the work. This is actually a juried exhibition which was curated by Judy Haberl, Professor of Sculpture at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The show takes a look at consumerism in all forms- money, food, sex, power, etc. and the effects of such on our planet and its inhabitants. The exhibit is open now through March 15th, with the opening reception taking place on February 3, 2011 from 5-7:30pm.
And here is a list of participating artists: Edie Bresler, Donna Catanzaro, Marie Picard Craig, Marli Diestel, Anthony Fisher, Virginia Fitzgerald, Karen Frostig, Katerie Gladdys, Justin Goodall, Amy Guidry, Hope Hardesty, Max Heller, Rachael Jablo, Lauren Kalman, Sam Keller, Minsung Keyoung, Kirstin Lamb, Anne Lambert, Yvonne Love & Gabrielle Russomagno, So Yoon Lym, Leslie Macklin, Monika Malewska, Elizabeth Michelman, Mitzi Lynn Mize, Morrix, Nancy Morrow, Kathleen O’Hara, Anne Percoco, Rachel Bee Porter, Nina Prader, Gina Randazzo, Kayla Risko, Andrea Rosenthal, Alison Safford, Rosalie Ripaldi Shane, Kirsten Rae Simonsen, Gulin Sungur, Douglas Tausik,Dylan Vitone, Callie Wile, and April Wood
My painting, “The United States of Consumerism,” as seen above, will be part of the exhibition. For more of my recent work, please visit www.AmyGuidry.com.
My work was recently selected for inclusion in the Multispecies Salon 3: Swarm to be held in New Orleans this November. The exhibit will take place in three gallery spaces- The Front, Kawliga Studios, and Ironworks. As stated on their website, the exhibit will “use art to address a series of interrelated questions about nature: Which species flourish, and which fail, when natural and cultural worlds intermingle and collide? What happens when the bodies of organisms, and even entire ecosystems, are brought into schemes of biotechnology and dreams of biocapitalism? And finally, with particular relevance to New Orleans: In the aftermath of disaster–in a blasted landscape that has been transformed by multiple catastrophes–what are the possibilities of biocultural hope?”
Multispecies Salon was first organized by anthropologist Eben Kirksey and friends as an outshoot of the annual convention of the Association of American Anthropologists (AAA). The AAA will hold their convention in New Orleans from November 18-21, 2010. The Multispecies Salon will schedule a speaking series as well as a reception for anthropologists who will be in New Orleans for the convention on Thursday, November 18.
There are also three themes to the exhibit: “Edible Companions,” “Life in the Age of Biotechnology,” and “Hope in a Blasted Landscape.” Since this is still early, I don’t have all the details yet, but I believe my work will be in the “Edible Companions” exhibit at The Front gallery. The opening for the event will be November 13th as part of the Second Saturday Artwalk in the St. Claude Arts District. The exhibit will be up through December 5th. As I get more details such as time, etc. I will post as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you’d like to see more of my work, be sure to check out my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.
There are currently three sites posting my work, two of which include new interviews. First, as mentioned in an older post, my work was selected for inclusion on the beinArt Surreal Art Collective site. If you are unfamiliar with the site, it is an online collection of surrealist works by renowned artists (many are my personal heroes) such as Ron English, Laurie Lipton, and Kris Kuksi. I’m really excited and honored to have my work included among such great artists. Check out my profile at beinArt.org-Artists-Amy Guidry.
Two recent interviews are posted online as well. First, I had an interview with Guy Sangster Adams of the U.K.’s “Plectrum- The Cultural Pick.” It’s a great interview and Mr. Adams had some wonderful comments about my work so check it out at Plectrum-Exhibition/New Work Preview and Interview:Amy Guidry.
The second interview was with Silvia Moreno-Garcia of the Canadian zine, Innsmouth Free Press. Another round of interesting questions, which you can check out on their site at Innsmouth Free Press- Interview:Amy Guidry.
No one cares about your art more than you do. It’s true. It’s not unlike showing your vacation photos to everyone. They mean well, but after about two minutes, the enthusiasm wears off and their eyes glaze over. I was inspired to write this after going through some old art magazines to clear out the mountain of periodicals I’ve saved. I came across a rather disheartening article in a very popular magazine. The author was giving advice on how to be a successful artist. Some of the author’s tips? Paint what sells- not more “complex” paintings, don’t bother showing in libraries or university galleries since they don’t generate sales (museums usually don’t either, but I don’t know an artist alive that wouldn’t jump at the chance to show in a museum), and sell on Ebay- specifically bright, colorful, quick paintings- no drawings. I know better than this and even I found it depressing! I can only imagine what other artists must think.
So this is what leads me to my frustration. I don’t care who they are or if they mean well, no one truly cares about your art or your art career as much as you do. This is why you are the only one that can determine what your goals are and if, at the end of the day, you’ve done all that you can to achieve those goals. Don’t listen to the naysayers, the haters, the critics, the cynics, or the non-believers. What do they know anyway? Even some of the experts can’t always predict what you, personally, need to do. That’s why it’s up to you to take in all this information and filter through it and find what is applicable and toss away what’s not. You know what you need to do. You know if your work is the best it can be. You know what you should create. If you try to “paint what sells,” you’ll be chasing your tail for quite some time. Popularity changes as do marketing trends. Something that sells one day, won’t the next. That’s why there are trend analysts that make a living at this. Great work is great work and it will attract its own popularity. And while I’m at it- if you were to avoid university galleries, libraries, museums, or any other venue for fear of little to no sales, you wouldn’t be an artist, would you? I couldn’t imagine not having the experience of seeing art, especially when I was a student, at a university gallery or museum. Some of the most significant shows of our time come from these venues.
In my own personal experience, I’ve heard it all. I’ve been told what I should paint, how I should paint, and I’ve even had a drunk non-artist tell me what is and isn’t art. When I made the decision to paint and to try to get into a gallery exhibit, even one of my “good” friends told me that I couldn’t do it. It’s a good thing I didn’t listen to any of these people, otherwise I may not have even been an artist at all. Anyone listening to that kind of advice would quit before even starting. Don’t make that mistake. If you’re already a working artist, just keep on trucking. If you’re just starting out, stay focused and put your blinders on. And maybe invest in some good ear plugs.
Being a true artist takes grit. There’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and you’ll need to develop a thick skin. However, I can’t imagine a more rewarding experience. I always like to think of these words by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”
If you’d like to learn more about my own work and what I’ve been up to, check out my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.
Yes, I know that titling this “Homecoming” conjures up thoughts of football and brightly colored taffeta. However, that’s not the type of homecoming I’m referring to. I’m exhibiting in the “Where Are They Now” exhibit at the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall in Slidell, Louisiana. I was a student in the Talented Art Program during my junior high and high school days in St. Tammany Parish, so as an arts professional, I have been invited back to take part of their exhibit. The Times Picayune recently posted an article about the show, featuring one of my paintings- the direct link – www.nola.com. (Though it was too late to correct this for the papers, my work was featured on MTV’s Real World: Hollywood, not New Orleans.) Opening night will be this Friday- August 27th from 7-9pm. The exhibit will remain up through September 25th at City Hall.
I also found out that the Slidell Commission on the Arts has selected my work to be featured in a solo exhibition in the 2011-2012 cultural season. The exhibit will take place at the Slidell Cultural Center at City Hall. I’ll be sure to post more details closer to time. More information regarding shows can be found at www.AmyGuidry.com. You can also sign up for my newsletter on the Contact page of my site.
Just a quick post this evening… sorry about that. Lots going on, which means I will have more to share soon. My work is currently on exhibit in the 2010 Art Melt at the Louisiana State Museum. As mentioned previously, the jurors for this year’s exhibit were Andrea Pollan, Executive Director of The Curator’s Office in Washington, D.C.; Denny Mecham, Executive Director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum in Biloxi, MS; and Paul Dean, Associate Professor at the LSU School of Art. The exhibit is up through August 28th. So here are a few photos from the preview party…
Another bit of news to mention- Avi Abrams of Dark Roasted Blend recently featured my work as part of their Surreal Art Update. It can be found under the page “Schizophrenic Episode Simulation.” View it at Dark Roasted Blend. And to view more of my work, be sure to visit www.AmyGuidry.com.
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.