Artospective: Contemporary Surrealism by Amy Guidry from Louisiana.

Invasive-Species - 20in x 10in

An Interview with Amy Guidry.

Who and where are you from?

My name is Amy Guidry and I currently reside in Lafayette, Louisiana.

What brought you to Art?

I've been creating since I was a very young child. I come from a family of artists, including my mother and brother, so I was exposed to art at an early age. I would create countless drawings all day, every day. On occasion I got to use messier media such as paint or oil pastels. It was something that came naturally and brought me immense enjoyment.

What is your driving force?

The welfare of all of nature is my driving force. Since childhood, I've been fascinated by nature and was always outside playing with my dog and looking for animals in the forest nearby. I was aware of animal extinction and felt that if I created beautiful artwork of animals then maybe people would care about them as much as I did. My approach is basically the same today. Create art that moves people and makes them care about animals and the natural world. With climate change and its myriad of consequences, I feel that it's more important than ever to inspire others to action. It's a lot to ask of a painting, but I feel that art can provide a visual for a concept that may be hard to imagine otherwise. Even my works that are basically animal portraits serve as a reminder of what we have to lose.

What kind of work you do and why?

My paintings are mostly acrylic on canvas, with a few exceptions done on paper. I refer to my work as Contemporary Surrealism. Themes I explore involve our relationship with other animals and nature, as well as the cycle of life and connections between all life forms. I work in series, each painting has its own message, with the overall concept conveying respect for all of nature and humanity. Surrealism allows me to delve into environmental issues and animal welfare issues, creating strange worlds that reflect the current state of our planet. What seems illogical can come to life through a painting. Though in many ways, I feel like what I paint is a mirror-image of our reality.

Tell us more about your thought process.

The premise of my current series “In Our Veins” is to explore the connections between all life forms and the cycle of life. Through a psychological, and sometimes visceral, approach, this series investigates our relationship to the natural world, as well as our role in the life cycle. Concepts such as life and death, survival and exploitation, and the interdependence of living and nonliving organisms are illustrated throughout. "In Our Veins" demonstrates these ideas in a surreal, psychologically-charged narrative in an effort to raise awareness and promote ecological conservation.

Please share with us the one modern artist whose work you find Interesting and why?

I've always been a huge fan of Lucien Freud, especially his later work. I saw his "Naked Man, Back View" in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and got as close as possible to view it. What's fascinating for me is the texture and how it has a life of its own. His work may be a figure painting when standing further away, but up close it is a frenzied mix of colors, textures, and brushstrokes. It's the complete opposite of how I work and I'm in awe of how loose yet controlled it is.