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"Sometimes I get frustrated because I have so many ideas fighting to come out. Every painting has so many
possibilities."
Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Amy was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1972. Like many artists, she
began drawing at a young age.
"I was never one of those children who daydreamed of growing up to become an artist. I just ASSUMED
that was what I would be. It was never a question of 'do I want to be an artist?'. Often there are days
when I really don't want to paint, I HAVE to paint. The urge to create is almost a wild, living entity trapped
inside me, clawing to escape.
My greatest influences have been Brian Froud and Michael Parkes, which is evident in my paintings. I have
also been greatly inspired by the urbanfantasy stories of Charles deLint and the lovely, haunting music of
Loreena McKennitt.
When I begin a piece, I usually have a good idea as to what I want the finished image to look like. However,
by the time I actually complete the painting it has often evolved into something completely different. I start
with a blank piece of paper and begin drawing. I rarely do preliminary sketches unless there is a
troublesome area that needs special attention or I can't decide on the layout of the overall piece. The initial
drawing can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to hours, days, months, and sometimes years. The actual
painting of the piece often takes around ten hours.
When I paint, I paint for myself. I find it hard to be passionate about another person's ideas. For this reason
I don't take on commissions, as they tend to put me in a disagreeable mood and take away my creative
license. After completing more than 800 paintings, I have found that the images which were painted for my
own delight are often the images most well received by the public. Ultimately, I wish for each painting to
evoke a deep emotion in the viewer...hopefully a longing to become a part of the painting itself.
I spent much of my childhood and teen years doodling, but was never very serious about my art. In 1992, at
the age of 20, I got a job working as a custom picture framer at a local gallery, which I continued to do for
more than 7 years. This was the best step I could have taken towards my eventual career. I was exposed
to a wide range of art in all mediums. Working with mat boards and frames gave me a good background for
color, texture, and design.
About four months after I started at the gallery, my boss and now good friend Shawn, handed me an
empty frame that had been lying around the shop for months and said 'Here, paint something to fit in this
frame....maybe a little fairy or something.' I had always had an interest in fairies, ever since my aunt gave
me the book FAERIES by Brian Froud and Alan Lee. However, I never attempted to draw any. So, I went
home that night and painted a faery hovering next to a clump of pink foxgloves. We put the finished piece
out in the gallery and it sold a few days later...
...that was how it all started."
Bio Courtesy of AmyBrownArt.com
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