"Everything's Coming Up Roses" by Amy Guidry; Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
I had a call from a writer recently regarding my work in the upcoming Learn Promote Defend exhibit. Patricia Ress, a writer for the Acadiana Gazette, has covered a couple of events and shows I’ve had in the past, so she did a phone interview with me about this upcoming show. She’s always very enthusiastic about my work, so I was happy to have her cover the Learn Promote Defend exhibit. So even though the show is in Atlanta, at least I am the one Louisiana artist (the other artists are from elsewhere in the U.S. and world, for that matter) to be included. I will have three paintings in the exhibit to benefit the Center for Civil and Human Rights. And this is a one-night only event so it will take place tomorrow (!), December 10th at 7 pm at Mason Murer Fine Art. The entire program of events, however, lasts for 10 days throughout the city of Atlanta, as part of 60 Years of Progress… 10 Days of Recognition.
"Metamorphosis" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
Yes, I come up with some weird titles… I was thinking of earth, wind, fire, and water since the Fire and Water Festival is coming up, and as you can see by the name, it is sans earth and wind. Okay, enough rambling. The Fire and Water Festival is a 3-day event to be held in Arnaudville, LA. Yes, this may sound familiar to you since I taught a class in- say it with me- Arnaudville- just a couple of months ago. Arnaudville has quite the arts community going on thanks to George Marks. (I’m sure there are others involved, but unfortunately I don’t know everyone behind the scenes, so much appreciation goes to those folks as well.) Anyway, George is an artist as well, and asked me to participate. I was excited to be asked since it was looking like there would not be a big group exhibit this year, but turns out there will be one afterall. Yea!
And yes, I will be in attendance on Saturday, December 13th. The show will be up as of Friday the 12th for the start of the festival and will end the following Sunday. So despite all the holiday parties, get-togethers, etc., I will be there (and my artwork, of course). If you need to get rid of some holiday stress (And you know it exists, don’t pretend it doesn’t. It’s okay to admit you’re not always holly and jolly.), then come to Arnaudville to enjoy great art and great company. Never a dull moment.
Oh, and I should also give you the actual name of the event. Many people know it as “Le Feu et l’Eau Rural Arts Celebration,” but for those of us who are not Cajun (i.e. me), it’s perfectly fine to call it the Fire and Water Festival. Here’s a list of some of the participating artists: Kelly Guidry, Hope Hebert, Julie Breaux, Lue Svendson, Jill Hackney, Scott Finch, Damond, Lisa DiStefano, George Marks, Amy Guidry, Vincent Darby, JD Schall, Gerilyn LaVergne, Rene & Iggy Landry, Alvin “Pem” Broussard, Hogie Siebert, Daryl Harwood, William Lewis, Florine Robin, Brian Thibodeaux, Michelle Fontenot, Michel Hudelot, Gerald Judice,Lori Henderson, Missy Maloney, Scott DiStefano, Noonsie Morrough, Bryan LaFaye, Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault, Mario Doucette, Matt Doucet, Jay Miller, Eric Breaux, Pat Mire, Dicky Landry,Jillian Johnson, Megan Barra, Lucius Fontenot, Philip Gould, Francis X Pavy, Elemore Morgan, Jr., Kent Hustler, Toby Rodriguez, Zachary Richard, Guy Arsenault, Andre’-Alan Phelps, Sylvain Cousineau, Francis Coutellier, Paul E. Bourque, Pete Goguen, Paul Bosse’, Herme’ne’gilde Chiasson, Natalie Morin, Jean-Denis Boudreau, Erik Miklos, Moncton-Sable, Paul Bosse, Yvon Gallant, George Blanchette, Anne-Marie Sirois, Jennifer Be’llanger, Marc Xavier LeBlanc, Pavel Skalnik, Dano LeBlanc, Michel Brault, Pierre Perrault, Mario Doucette, and more…
The event will be held December 12-14, Friday, 4pm-Midnight; Saturday, 9am-Midnight; Sunday, 10am-5pm at the Junction of LA 93/31, Arnaudville, LA. See you there!
All this holiday stuff has me thinking of many things- deadlines, shopping, stress, and of course, family. For some, stress and family are interchangeable. Ha! Anyway, as promised in a previous post, I am sharing more about my artistic relatives that everyone seems to want to know so much about. So I give you my brother, Craig. Craig’s work is rather detail oriented and favors the style of comic books and pop surrealism. Yes, everyone wants to know if his work is anything like mine. On the surface, no, but I guess you could draw some sort of corollary if you know us each personally. (Here he is working on his Lizard Man painting. I’m not exactly sure of the title, but that’s what I always call it.)
Craig’s approach is different as well in that he applies many thick layers of paint. He also does a lot of pen and ink work, which I have not done in awhile. Unfortunately, Craig does not have a website. After enough prodding, he may have one eventually, but just not right now. However, you can rest assured that I will post any information here about shows he may have coming up. His work is also a little on the dark side, as you can see by the painting at the left. And yes, that is of me. Apparently this is how my brother sees me. Or maybe I had a bad day. And apparently took it out on someone. Who knows? At any rate, it’s still a good painting… and an icebreaker.
Craig also partakes of assistance. Here he is shown with his assistant, Abbie. Abbie supervises his work. She is also a lap warmer. Though they have not worked together long, they are very close. And though she may look like a cat, she is not. She’s just a very small and hairy person.
So there you have it. If any other family members draw or paint, I have yet to find out about it. And if I’m related to Van Gogh or Renoir, I have no idea. I have yet to do a family tree. But I can say that I’m related to some talented (living) people. So if this has piqued your interest, and you would like to see some of my own work, you can go to my website at www.AmyGuidry.com. Happy Thanksgiving!
"Introspective" by Amy Guidry; SOLD; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
My work is now online….somewhere else, that is. I recently submitted my art for review to an art and design site called Design Milk. They post all kinds of reviews (and links) to state-of-the-art furniture, industrial design, fashion, etc. And art! So my work has been posted on there amongst all the other cool stuff you can find. And they post websites where you can find everything they review and go to purchase, too, which is nice. So check out my work, and while you are there, check out all the other categories. Go to http://design-milk.com/.
As you may already know, assuming you read this blog on a regular basis (fingers crossed), my work was recently selected for the Learn Promote Defend exhibition and silent auction to be held December 10th in Atlanta. I recently got a preview of the promotional material for the show, which is the image I’ve posted to the left. Anyway, I’ve also discovered that this was an international call for entries. Aside from being introduced to work from other parts of the world, this is exciting to know since it means the odds of getting chosen were even greater due to the volume of submissions. And wouldn’t you know it, but I am the only artist from Louisiana in the show. (Not that I assume tons of Louisiana artists are doing work pertaining to civil rights necessarily, but I do feel good knowing that I get to represent my state in this exhibit. Especially since Louisiana is not usually the first to come to mind when thinking of art, so I’d like to help change that. Someday. Hopefully…)
I also found out who the other artists are, so assuming no one minds any free publicity, I’m posting their names here (and locations since this is world-wide). They are: Eugene Abrams, Canada; Turi Aksdal, Norway; Richard Booker, GA; Eugene Campbell, GA; COOPER, FL; Katharine Dahl, GA; Joseph Dreher, GA; Melanie Ebenhardt, GA; Laura Elkins, DC; Susanna Green, GA; Amy Guidry, LA; Mona Hakimi-Schuler, Germany; Brandt Hardin, TN; Reeta Hiltunen, Helsinki; Annie Hogan, NC; Jessey Jansen, IL; Nolan Lee, CO; Builder Levy, NY; Jeanette Martone, NY; Janet McKenzie, VT; Tracey Moore, TX; Owen Mundy, FL; Phil Napalala, VA; Lazarus Nazario, NJ; Jason Nousin, CT; Judith Peck, VA; Jason Reblando, IL; Silvia Ross, FL; Ron Sherman, GA; David Swann, GA; Lisa Tuttle, GA; Cherie Tymkiw, IL; Betsy VanDie, IL; George Van Dreal, CA; Brian Walker, GA; Sandra Weinstein, CA; Elizabeth White, CT.
The exhibit and auction will be held at Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta, GA on December 10th from 7-9pm. Sales of art benefit the artists and the Center for Civil and Human Rights. The exhibit is part of a 10-day, city-wide program of events celebrating the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Univeral Declaration of Human Rights.
If you’d like to see my selected works or different series, check out my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.
I thought I should try something new and share a commissioned painting I did recently. I don’t have any posted here and I usually don’t post them on my website anymore since my portrait section is a bit overloaded. Well, on the verge, at least. But I always keep a photo of the work I’ve done even if I don’t have room for it on my site. So I’m taking the opportunity to post it here for the first time.
I was asked by a friend of another collector to do a painting of her three children. So she wanted to get a painting done of them at the beach. (Hence the background.) I think this was originally going to be a surprise gift, but ended up being an early gift instead. Anyway, this is a 20″ x 24″ painting which is more of a medium-size given the range I work with. The tutu, though challenging, was kind of fun in a sick way. I like to torment myself and fuss over every little detail, but it’s usually worth it for the end result.
If you’re new to my work, or just haven’t seen my portraits, you can check out my Portrait section of my website at www.AmyGuidry.com. And of course you can find the rest of my work there as well.
"Freedom" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
“Upcoming Shows:
My “New Realm” series will be featured at the Schepis Museum in Columbia, LA in the Spring of 2009. This will be a solo exhibit and will be on display as of March 3rd and will run through the end of April.
On December 10th, my work will be featured in the “Learn Promote Defend” exhibit and silent auction. The event is sponsored by the Center for Civil and Human Rights in conjunction with a 10-day program, “60 Years of Progress…10 Days of Recognition.” The exhibit will be held at Mason Murer Fine Art in Atlanta, GA.
As mentioned in previous blogs, I was asked to participate in “Twelve,” a group show of twelve artists represented by Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX. The show will open Saturday, December 6th, 2008 with an opening reception from 6-8pm.
Also at Wally Workman Gallery is the upcoming group exhibition, “Grand Affair.” I will also be showing as part of the represented artists. The exhibit will open in January 2009. More details soon.
I will be showing at Galerie Lafayette in Lafayette, LA for a second solo exhibit. My show in 2007 was a huge success, and now I will be showing my “New Realm” series there for the first time at that venue. The show is scheduled for the month of October in 2009. More details to follow.
Publications:
As part of my recent attainment of representation by the Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX, my work will be featured in the upcoming edition of “Art Galleries & Artists of the South” Magazine.
My work was recently selected for the fall edition of “Studio Visit” Magazine. The juror was Carl Belz, Director Emeritus of The Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University. The magazine will be on newsstands later this month and is published by The Open Studios Press. The first copies are being sent to the publisher’s mailing list of national galleries and museums this week!
The winter edition of “Studio Visit” Magazine will also feature my work in early 2009. I was selected by Michael Klein, curator and private art dealer. He is also the former Director of the International Sculpture Center and former Curator of the Microsoft Collection. I received notification yesterday that the magazine is slated to be out mid-March of 2009. So be on the lookout.
If you’d like to see more of my work, aside from this blog, you can check out my online gallery at www.AmyGuidry.com. You can also find my work at www.WallyWorkmanGallery.com. To get monthly updates and show invitations, sign up for my newsletter under the contact page of my website.
"Lightness" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
Apparently it doesn’t take more than one comment on here to get me to do something (aka Zack). Which is why I am posting my new painting. Yes, as mentioned before, this is a new piece that I will be showing at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, TX next month. I was invited to participate in the exhibition since I am one of their newly represented artists. The show is titled “Twelve,” and there are twelve artists and it will be held in the twelfth month. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a theme going here…. So amongst all the artists in this gallery, I was asked to show and was thrilled to participate.
So here is the big reveal! My painting is called “Lightness” and is 24 inches wide by 48 inches high. Kind of a different format for me, but it suited the composition the best. And these dimensions are divisible by….twelve. Anyway, in keeping with the theme, I used twelve butterflies in the piece. This is open to interpretation. For me, the butterflies represent change and metamorphosis, and represent the subject’s metamorphosis as well. This could involve twelve steps, twelve months, however you want to view the process of change. Regardless, this piece is another installement to my New Realm series, so again you see the heroine of my “story” in this painting as well.
Aside from the photo here, you can also view the piece on my website www.AmyGuidry.com. And if you’re new to this blog, you might want to check out the rest of my work while you are there! Just a thought….
"Was It a Dream?" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
Okay, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you may recall me mentioning a great review of my work in Las Vegas CityLife magazine. Well, you can now finally read it on my website. The article was written by Jarret Keene and covers my New Realm solo exhibition that I recently had in Las Vegas, NV. You can read the article at www.AmyGuidry.com/press02.html.
For all my local readers, and maybe those so in love with my work they are willing to travel to Lafayette, LA to see it, I will be having another solo exhibit at Galerie Lafayette in October of 2009! The previous solo show I had there was packed with people, no kidding, and the work was very well-received. It’s a great space- huge, too, so I will be putting a lot of work in there- so this exhibit will not disappoint! You can view photos of that last exhibit under the Events section of my website- www.AmyGuidry.com.
"Adaptation" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2008
Twelve. That’s right. What does it mean to you? In this case, I’m referring to a group exhibition I will be participating in later this year during, yes, the twelfth month. The show is titled “Twelve” and is slated to open December 6th at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, Texas. In keeping with the theme, twelve artists have been asked to participate. I was one of them, so I’m thrilled and honored to be included. Each artist will have a piece pertaining to the number or, perhaps, concept of 12. I won’t spoil the surprise so you will just have to wait to see my painting!
I will say this. It’s a large piece. That’s all for now. And I am excited that it will be among other artists whose work I admire greatly. I don’t want to spoil that either. You can see what I’m talking about if you check out their website at www.WallyWorkmanGallery.com. Some of my favorites are Erin Cone and Ali Cavanaugh.
This will be my first exhibit at Wally Workman since I am new to the gallery. They represent my work in the Austin area, so if you live in Texas, be sure to stop by and see my work in person. (Such as the one on the left! Hint, hint) I do have paintings currently in the gallery so this is your chance to check out the detail that just isn’t conveyed on the web… But don’t let that deter you from looking at my website- www.AmyGuidry.com 😉
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