MORE PROFILES

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I've taken a bit of a break after the opening of my show to take some much needed relaxation and catch up on non-work related things.  Sorry it's taken me so long to post these. amy_lind-the_lines_between

The Lines Between

54" x 34"

oil on belgian linen

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Waiting

36" x 36"

oil on belgian linen

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Gavin Profile

18" x 12"

oil on belgian linen

"Profile" Solo Show feature - American Art Collector November 2009 Issue 49

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amy_lind-aac_49 Wohoo!  I just received my online version of the November (Issue 49) American Art Collector magazine.  It will be in bookstores (Barnes & Noble, Borders) by the end of October/beginning of November.  It features 18 solo shows across the US this month, and mine is one of them!  I am very honored to be alongside such amazing artists.  Check it out!

This November, I will be exhibiting 20 new figurative works that all focus on the profile view in a solo show, entitled Profile, at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina.  The opening reception will be held Friday, November 6 from 5:30-8:30 PM.  As part of CFADA's annual Fine Art Weekend, I will be plein air painting along with 20 other artists in Washington Park from 9Am-noon on Saturday, November 7.  The paintings done in the park on Saturday morning will be auctioned off at the Charleston Art Auction Saturday evening to raise money for schoolchildren's art supplies.

GRAND OPENING at RLS - artist Nathan Durfee

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image above: Nathan Durfee, The Arrival, 22" x 22", oil on panel

For those of you fortunate enough to be in the Charleston area (unlike myself), please go check out the show tonight at ROBERT LANGE STUDIOS in their new gorgeous space located just a block away from their old spot. Fantastical artist Nathan Durfee will undoubtedly bring the space to life with his colorfully whimsical paintings as he presents many new works in his show "Thoughts Between the Sky and Sea."

Friday, October 2, 5-8 PM

Robert Lange Studios (new location!) 2 Queen St. Charleston, SC

www.robertlangestudios.com

Brand Spankin' New!

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amy_lind-jessica_profile Belle Fleur, Jessica Profile

oil on belgian linen

36" x 24"

My first painting done in Los Angeles of the beautiful (and fellow recent LA resident) Jessica Nicole Collins

{ will be part of my "Profile" solo show in November at Robert Lange Studios }

UPDATE: Painting was accepted into the Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils in May 2010.

Production Designer for HGTV Commercial

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While visiting LA in May, I jumped on board as Production Designer for HGTV's (Home and Garden Television) summer commercial campaign Directed by Mike Goubeaux.  The project was co-produced by the Dandy Dwarves (my hubby's company!) and LA motion graphics company Roger.  Josh (my hubby) produced the live action shoot and Roger added the motion graphics in post production.  We created HGTV's whole summer broadcast campaign, which consists of six :15 ID spots (seen below) and one :30 commercial spot (seen above).

As Production Designer, I had four days to find, pick out, obtain, and put together essentially EVERYTHING you see in this commercial - from the plants and grass, to the picnic set-up including the food, to the clothing worn by the actors, etc....all the little details down to the salt that rimmed the margarita glasses.  Basically, everything but the actors themselves.  It was a crazy sleepless week, but it was a blast and the end product looks great!  Watch for this commercial and the other six 15 second spots throughout the summer on HGTV!

Initially, I only put the 30 second spot in this post, but decided to add this video with the six 15 second spots combined because I remembered that one of them uses *sparklers*!  I thought it would be a bright way of saying Happy 4th of July!

Hope you all take some time to be with friends and family to celebrate our independence!

Christine Hall Photography

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christine_hall_wedding_photos { all photos above from my wedding taken by Christine Hall }

A huge thanks to the amazing photographer, Christine Hall, for your ever so flattering and thoughtful blog post!  I had the pleasure of meeting Chrissy when she photographed our wedding.  She is such a fun spirit and insanely talented photographer!  I always love when inspiration is reciprocal between artists!  I got to visit with her in May in her new studio space in Savannah.  If you are in the market for a photographer to shoot a wedding or portrait of your family, please check out her work: www.christinehallphotography.com

the following excerpt is from Christine Hall's blog:

"Amy Lind

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2009

Wow, it is amazing how just her visiting and talking to her at the studio it put me into this creative frenzy. I hit lulls now and again and think so much about the business now a days that when I feel that creative side in me stirring inside I feel like I did in college,  free, fun, and endless ideas that I knew were possible and trusting my instinct instead of what is safe or popular. If you are searching for a great painted portrait look no further then Amy Lind, I can ‘t wait to get mine, and ps we make a very good team with her painting from some of my portraits. Her website is amylind.com fabulous amazing beautiful inside and out."

I'm back!

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After traveling all around the US for nearly the past six months, my hubby and I have finally settled into a new home in Los Angeles!  Among other things, our travels mainly consisted of adventures with family and friends....we made it to numerous (BEAUTIFUL!) weddings as well as the birth of our new (ADORABLE!) niece!  It has certainly been a fruitful time both personally and job-wise and has filled us up with many good memories.  Thanks to all who made it so special. Now that I am back in my "official" studio space, I am gearing up for a show in November.

Details to follow soon...

"Review: Yellow vs. Blue" - Charleston City Paper

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I was very thrilled to read Nick Smith's review in the Charleston City Paper of the group Show, "Yellow Versus Blue" at Robert Lange Studios.  Specifically, his last two paragraphs:   : ) "Surprisingly, nothing seems out of place amidst the trippy acrylics, solid oils, fabric collages and abstract images on display. The regulated color scheme helps. Even more surprisingly, the most traditional paintings are also the most memorable: Kerry Brooks' cinematic close-ups, Amy Lind's portraits, and Joshua Flint's Grand Central Station scenes are full of life and feeling.

Brimming with vigor and confidence, this show has deservedly become RLS' most popular group show so far. A sequel is in the planning stages. Is anyone up for Brown Versus Pink?"

CLICK HERE for the full review of all the great work in the show.

"Yellow vs. Blue" group show

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LEFT: Yellow, oil on linen, 24" x 18"  RIGHT: Mark of a Mother, oil on linen, 24" x 18"

If you happen to be near Charleston this Friday, April 10, please stop by Robert Lange Studios for the opening reception of a group show entitled, "Yellow vs. Blue."  Many great artists.  For the full list of artists and to view the work in the show, visit: www.robertlangestudios.com

hard drive crash - need contact info!

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14005_lg My computer's hard drive decided to die on me.  I have replaced it so my computer is running again, but I was unsuccessful at retrieving any of the files off my old drive.  I have out-of-date back-ups of some important files, but unfortunately my email and contacts are not recent.

IF YOU WERE EVER ON MY MAILING LIST OR WOULD LIKE TO BE FOR THE FIRST TIME, PLEASE send me an email with your email address (and physical address if you'd like to receive postcards for my shows).  I would love to put the pieces back together and say that I am whole again...

amy@amylind.com

Why do we depend on computers so much?  You'd think as a fine artist I wouldn't.  But ahh, quite the contrary.  Luckily, I do have back-ups of the digital documentation of my paintings as well as my website files.  Losing some personal photos of my friends and family is hard to take, though....but as my husband optimistically put it, "We don't have any good photos of us anyway.  We have our wedding photos and that's all we need."  I guess we did have too many unimportant photos of us...maybe this was God's way of doing some 'Spring cleaning' on my computer.  I know we have a whole life ahead of us that will present us with many a more photo op..

Here's to Spring cleaning!

Women Painting Women blog

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I am very honored to be included as an artist on the blog

WomenPaintingWomen.blogspot.com

which includes 'favorite paintings of women by women, with a focus on contemporary, living artists.'  I met the creator of the blog, Sadie Valeri, while we were studying Portrait Painting under Michael Grimaldi at the Bay Area Classical Artist Atelier exactly one year ago.  Sadie is a very ambitious artist who strives to achieve great technical skill but also continues to learn about and question the principles and ideas surrounding painting both in the past and how they exist in our society today.  She has a personal blog (Sadievaleri.blogspot.com) that often includes step by step/in process shots of her paintings (mostly still life).  Her new blog, 'Women Painting Women' already contains the work of over 25 women artists in the first week of its conception.  The artists are all incredible and their work encompasses a variety of styles.  I look forward to checking back often, as I have discovered several artists I did not know of before.  How far we women have come!  Thanks, Sadie, for thinking of me.

National Portrait Gallery

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vera_list_full{ detail }vera_hands { detail }vera_head

I was enamored of this oil on paper piece depicting art collector and philanthropist Vera List by Jon R. Friedman. It hung in the new arrivals hall by the front entrance of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. It was one of the first paintings I saw and was probably my favorite throughout the whole museum. Very much a mix between Andrew Wyeth and Lucian Freud. There are so many intricate parts of this painting that I quite like; I can't decide which I like more - the bandaid on her hand or the vein in her forehead...

There is currently a fabulous photography exhibit, of which I failed to take many photos.  One playful portrait that caught my eye was this one below.  I love the parallels between the background of this photograph and the treatment of the couch in the above painting.

Photograph of Henry Kissinger by Steve Pyke

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I managed to quickly peruse most of the exhibits/wings in an hour and a half.  My trip to the gallery was shorter than I wished as I spent the first part of the day driving up to Washington DC from Charleston, SC. Nonetheless, it was still inspiring!

Rediscovering artists is always a joy, whether in a magazine, book, museum, etc. On Friday at the museum, I found that I loved the work of both Thomas Wilmer Dewing and Abbott Handerson Thayer.  I had seen both of these artists' work before, but it wasn't until I saw a collection of their paintings in person that I realized how much I responded to them. Dewing's ethereal paintings of romantic woman struck a cord with me, and I appreciate his soft, feminine color palette. Thayer's angelic female figures exude a strong sense of emotion and mystery along with innocence. I enjoy the symmetrical compositions in many of Thayer's paintings. While still maintaining subtle rendering, he positions his figures on the canvas in such a way creating an overall bold, graphic quality.  I especially love his brushwork and the looseness of My Children (first image below).  I pulled this image from online as I did not capture a good enough one myself.  Online, I read that Thayer signed this painting and inscribed it "never to be retouched, not one pinpoint."  Now that is just spendid!

ABBOTT HANDERSON THAYER :::

Abbott Handerson Thayer, My Children (Mary, Gerald, and Gladys Thayer), oil, (very large, approx. 5' x 7') thayer

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Virgin Enthroned, oil, (also very large) thayer_virgin_enthroned

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Stevenson Memorial, oil, (also very large) stevenson_memorial

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Angel, oil angel

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Winged Figure, oil  { AT ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO }

angel_aic I took the above image, Winged Figure, while at the Art Institute of Chicago a few weeks ago. I had always loved the compostion of the curved body and cropped wings, but I never realized who painted it until I just took note of other Thayers at the National Portrait Gallery.

......................................................................................................................................................... THOMAS WILMER DEWING :::

Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Lady in White (No. 2), oil on canvas

In a natural pose reminiscent of Whistler's Arrangement in Grey and Black: The Artist's Mother, the figure in Dewing's Lady in White (No. 2) appears to possess less mannequin-like traits than Dewing's other figure paintings at the gallery (including a painting of dancing ladies that is literally painted on a grand piano).

lady_in_white_no_2

whistlersmother

Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Music, oil on canvas dewing_music

Thomas Wilmer Dewing, A Reading, oil on canvas dewing_table

PS :::

Thomas Wilmer Dewing.  Abbott Handerson Thayer.  Amy Lind?

How did I get stuck with such a short unpoetic name?  I thought the mark of true artists were their strong names..

Quick Life Drawing

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life_draw_scad{blurry photo of} charcoal on paper, 24" x 18" - 1 hour drawing from life

While in Savannah for a wedding, I visited my friend's Life Drawing class at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). Ben Ward is a dear friend and fellow SCAD alumni who now works as a professor in the foundations department. In addition to boring his class with my work, I got to draw with the students. I was stuck with the only available spot/easel, but luckily I really like the gesture and nice S curve/figure 8 composition of the model's pose from my viewpoint.

"Gaze" Solo Show - Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, SC

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gaze_postcard Thanks to everyone who came out to the opening reception of my solo show, Gaze, at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina last Friday. (There was a great turn out - over 400 glasses were used to serve wine).  I had a wonderful time meeting with new folks.  Thanks Megan and Rob (Lange) for everything you do for me!

If you will be in the area, I hope you have a chance to stop by the gallery to see the work, which will be on view through March 27.

::: here is a glimpse of the opening :::

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show3

show4_josh_me

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show_josh_me1my hubby and me  : )

Art Institute of Chicago

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While in Chicago, I had to take a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago. The museum houses a vast collection of Impressionism. I think that viewing Monet and Degas and Post-Impressionist works by Van Gogh and Gauguin at a young age subconsciously instilled in me my love and fascination for color. Shannon, my best friend from high school and fellow AP art student, accompanied me to the museum. It was an extremely rainy day, so after we checked our umbrellas we headed immediately to the American wing to get our John Singer Sargent fix. To our surprise and delight, they had many recent Sargent acquisitions, two of which we had never even seen before in books! I took many a blurry snapshot of my favorite paintings, and I'd love to share a few with you. John Singer Sargent, Madame Paul Escudier (Louise Lefevre), 1882, oil on canvas sargent_window We were surprised to see this Sargent, which has a very delicately painted face. It's smooth and subtlety blended.....there still is hope for me to loosen up!! Because of the tight, detailed face and dark, moody room, this was not instantly recognizable as a Sargent.

Edouard Vuillard, Landscape: Window Overlooking the Woods, 1899, oil on canvas vuillard_landscape Edouard Vuillard, Annette Roussel with a Broken Chair, c. 1900, oil on cardboard vuillard_bedroom I've always responded to the very large landscape painting by Vuillard, but I finally snapped a shot of it. If I were to ever create textiles, I think this would be one of my initial sources of inpiration for pattern, texture, and color. Vuillard's small room painting reminds me of the pattern, texture, and color in Malcolm Liepke's work.

Antonio Mancini, Resting, c. 1887, oil on canvas mancini_bed LOVE LOVE LOVE the marks that make up this beautiful Mancini painting!

John Singer Sargent, Mrs. Charles Gifford Dyer (Mary Anthony), 1880, oil on canvas sargent_brody Couldn't resist including this painting by Sargent. I suppose Adrien Brody dressed as a woman and posed for Sargent back in 1880.

back home - newspaper article about teaching & artist in residence

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I was invited back to my hometown (Libertyville, Illinois - an hour north of Chicago) to teach the AP art students as an "artist in residence." Libertyville High School is blessed with support for the arts from the school and community and they also have wonderful teachers. Mr. Raymond Gossell, who inspired me as a high school AP art student, is still there inspiring new generations of young artists. I had such a great time in the last two weeks of February working with the students in pastels from a live model. I instructed the class to draw a pastel portrait - teaching them a bit about drawing the figure and color theory. The Daily Herald newspaper wrote a nice feature on my stint as an artist in residence. The printed article appeared on the third page of the front section...apparently they were desperate for news that day! : ) The printed feature was accompanied by two images of my new paintings, which was nice. You can read the online version HERE.