“Freedom” by Amy Guidry; Acrylic on canvas; 48″w x 24″h; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2013
One of my New Realm paintings has found a new home. Freedom is currently on exhibit at Gallery 549 in downtown Lafayette, Louisiana- though not for long! It is an acrylic on canvas, and 48″wide by 24″ high. If you haven’t seen it in person, now is the time to do so. The exhibit is up now through September 6th and features several of my New Realm paintings. View the entire series online here: amyguidry.com/freedom.html.
I was recently invited to exhibit in Les Bon Artiste Roule at the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings, LA. The show consists of artists from the Lafayette area that have previously exhibited at the Zigler. Below are some photos from the recent opening reception and more can be seen here: www.amyguidry.com/events.html. The exhibit is open through March 9th.
Artist Amy Guidry with her painting “Adaptation” at the Zigler Art MuseumCo-exhibiting artists Amy Guidry and Paul Schexnayder with his workInstallation view of “Adaptation” and “Renewal”
"Adaptation" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 36"w x 48"h; (c) Amy Guidry 2012
My recent New Realm solo exhibition received a great review on the Southern contemporary art blog, Louisianaesthetic. Reggie Michael Rodrigue said of my work, “It’s basically about the ability to choose one’s direction or directions without distraction, without shackles, and without having to ask for permission from the powers that be. Guidry seems to be saying that the real power resides inside all of us, whether we are innies, outties are something in between. We can all be “forces of nature” as long as we tend to ourselves and our surroundings with diligence, curiosity, wisdom and love.” Exactly. Read the review online at: http://louisianaesthetic.com/2012/07/22/beauty-and-the-beasts-in-the-new-realm-amy-guidry-at-lafayettes-ballet-academy/ .
"Spring" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 5" x 5"; SOLD; (c) Amy Guidry 2009
I just realized that I’ve been slacking a bit and did exactly what I would tell other artists not to do. I forgot to get photos of a few paintings. They were in an exhibit almost immediately after being finished, hence the mistake. Though I’ve had plenty of time since then to rectify it…. One is now sold, which at least if I need a photo of it I can get one from the buyer, but that is not always the case, therefore it’s important to always document. The good news is I do have a photo of the other painting that sold- Spring. Both paintings are acrylic on canvas, 5″ x 5″ each, and from my New Realm series, which you can see the larger paintings in the series here: www.amyguidry.com/beginning.html.
I get so many questions about my work ranging from simple to philosophical, so today I thought I’d post about one of the more fun ones. Sort of a Where’s Waldo post. So some of you have asked about the models I’ve used in my paintings, which have always been varied from series to series. However, there is one model that has been used for almost every body of work. If you’ve been following my work since the early days, you probably know the answer to this. Aside from using my own face, the next cheap and readily available model I know is my husband. Depending on the painting, some are an exact resemblance, some take artistic license, and some don’t even feature his face (i.e. Everything’s Coming Up Roses). So here are some of the paintings he has appeared in some form or another:
“Zachary” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 26″w x 22″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2005; Collection of The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
“United Isolation” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 48″ w x 36″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2007; Private Collection
“Everything’s Coming Up Roses” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 40″w x 30″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2015; Collection of The City of Slidell
“Burden to Bear” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 11″w x 14″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2010; Private Collection
“Vulnerable” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 24″w x 12″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2011
“Zachary II” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 30″w x 24″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2005
“Synergy” by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 8″w x 10″h; (c) Amy Guidry 2011; Available through The Shop Gallery, New Orleans
Artist Scott Hamilton's (Artboy68) miniature portrait of me
I found out yesterday that artist Scott Hamilton (aka Artboy68) had completed a miniature portrait of me as part of his project to complete 100 portraits in 20 weeks. Not only does it look like me, but it’s only 2 3/8 inches square! I work small, but not that small! And he did this just by using my Gravatar image (which you can see just about everywhere on this site). Amazing… Perhaps he works under a microscope? I’ve included a screen grab but be sure to check out the portrait (it’s #75) as well as the rest of his work here: http://artboy68project.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/75-amyguidryartist/. BTW, he already has plenty of subjects to reach 100, however, you can still enter to win a larger acrylic painting as number 100!
"Awakening" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 48"w x 24"h; (c) Amy Guidry 2011; SOLD
Another New Realm painting has found a new home. Awakening is one of the earlier paintings from the series and is one of the largest at 48″ wide by 24″ high. The single butterfly represents growth and freedom, themes that are heavily present in this series. As stated on my website, New Realm challenges the antiquated views of women as often seen in fairy tales. Using a surreal backdrop, it is a modern tale which presents the heroine as a strong and courageous woman. I’m also happy to say that several paintings from this series will be included in a upcoming exhibition featuring works from early in my career to the present. More details on that closer to time. Meanwhile, you can check out this series as well as a closeup of Awakening at www.amyguidry.com/awakening.html.
"Release" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; 36"w x 48"h; (c) Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
Another painting from my New Realm series has found a new home. The painting is titled Release and was done in 2008. It is an acrylic on canvas, 36″ wide by 48″ high. This is a popular painting from the series and one of the more substantially sized ones. The new owners were particularly moved by this piece and likewise, I was moved by the significance this painting had for them. I won’t go into any details here because it is a personal story and will remain so. However, it just goes to show that it truly does not matter if you are not an artist or an art historian in order to appreciate art. I would never deny someone their feelings towards a piece because those feelings are based on personal experiences and memories that I know nothing about. Sure, I have my own thoughts, feelings, and reasons behind my paintings, but that doesn’t make them any more “legit” than those of others. The same could be said for books, poetry, music, movies, and so on. I was truly touched by what these new collectors had to say, and appreciated that they shared something so personal with me. Their story has actually added to my own story behind the work. I enjoy telling stories through my art, but I love to hear the stories that others have to tell as well.
"Zachary" by Amy Guidry; acrylic on canvas; Collection of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
I’m excited to announce that my painting “Zachary” will be in the upcoming “Portraits and Their Stories” exhibition at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. “Zachary” is part of the museum’s collection and will be amongst the many other portraits in their collection (including Grant Wood of “American Gothic” fame) as well as some pieces on loan. “Zachary” was one of my portrait series paintings done during 2005-2006 (which you can view a few of on my Facebook Fan Page). The exhibition will be up September 24th, 2011 through January 15, 2012- ample opportunity for those of you in the Midwest to see my work in person. For more information on the exhibit visit the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art website at this direct link.
One of the awards I won early in my career for my painting "Mike"
Goals- simple title, and seems like such a simple concept, but there’s so much more there that most people don’t realize. We take them for granted, even I do sometimes despite myself. I was at a reception the other day for a fellow artist and started talking about how I made my goals and strategized in order to become a full-time artist. One person in the conversation said that I should look into giving courses on goal attainment because it’s a “big” business. That latter part may be true, but I will stick with my art. However, I thought it would be a great post to help out those in the arts, whether they are new or old to it. So here goes:
– First, make a list of the goals you’d like to achieve. Brainstorm and write down any and all goals. This can apply to all areas of your life, but let’s stick with your art career. Write whatever you want to achieve, desire, dream, etc.
– Cull from that list the things that are more attainable given your career at this given time. This will be your list of goals for the year. I like to have two lists, so that one is more “now” and the other is for “later.” Reason being, it may not be feasible to get your work in the Louvre within a year.
– Put your goal list somewhere visible- maybe on your studio wall? You might even want to make copies of it and put them elsewhere- on the fridge, in your car, your wallet, etc. Sounds silly, but it will keep these ideas in your mind and help you stay on target.
– Now come up with your strategy. On a different piece of paper or your computer, etc., come up with a strategy(ies) to attaining your goals. What are the steps you need to take in order to accomplish goal 1, goal 2, etc.? Be specific.
– Be flexible. You may come upon the end of the year and find that not all of your goals were reached or maybe they weren’t what you expected. Maybe you took all the steps needed and the goal didn’t pan out. It happens. So what can you do about it? Look at what has worked for you and what hasn’t. Get rid of the goals that aren’t the best use of your time and energy and focus on what does work. Make changes or alter your strategies in order to meet goals the second time around. And continue to meet goals that do work well for you. For example, if showing in a particular city has resulted in good sales, you should plan to show there again next year, or maybe more often.
– Prioritize your goals. You may need to accomplish one goal before you can realistically meet another. Or you may find an urgency in accomplishing a particular goal before others.
– Revisit your goals often. Aside from marking off goals as you reach them, you should be reviewing your goals list every few months to stay on track. Bigger decisions such as what worked or didn’t work for your career should be left to the end of the year for a better analysis.
– After analyzing your goals at the end of the year, make your new list for the new year with your accomplishments in mind. Continue to do the things that work. Include goals that were not reached and devise a new strategy to meet them. Remove goals that turned out to not be such a good idea. And, of course, add new goals that you should tackle.
Seems like such a simple concept and many of you may find this silly or unnecessary, but holding yourself accountable is the only way to accomplish something. You’d be amazed how 15 years can go by without making any real progression in your career, if you do the same thing day in and day out.
