It's Good to Be Back.

After a three-year long hiatus from writing in this blog, I realized how much I missed having my own platform for writing about art in a more meaningful way than snippets here and there, say, on Facebook. I've been blogging elsewhere about different things, but to have this void where the subject is so important to me seemed silly. So I am back.

This blog is not a place where I am to offer reviews or critique or even semi-intelligent babbling about what's going on in the art world. Instead, I envision this as more of a sitting around with artist friends and having fairly light conversations about what's happening around us, whether that means something on an international scope or simply what is going on in my basement studio.

I mean for this as a way to keep my audience informed about what I am up to, but also to share thoughts about who I am and what I like and care about, as it pertains to art (or closely associated to it).

Let me just get you a little caught up as to some of the things that have happened since 2012.

• After three years of adjunct teaching, I accepted a job in June 2013 as an in-house graphic designer, and have been working a 9 to 5 schedule since. This equals better, more stable pay and benefits, but much less time and flexibility in my schedule. I enjoy the work and my colleagues a lot, but it's been challenging finding a balance for other things (i.e. my studio practice).

• I'm still teaching art and design online, and I'll be celebrating my sixth year this January.

• I now have representation with three entities: Uprise Art in NYC, Susan Eley Fine Art in NYC, and Exhibit A in Corning, NY.

• I moved out of my nice big studio at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center in favor of working at home in my little dank basement space. I feel like it suits me better somehow!

• In May 2014, I embarked on a big undertaking to improve my health and fitness. I call 2015 the year where my body was my art project, because it really did become my focus. As a result, I lost 100 pounds and starting running (up to 5+ miles, even!). I still have a lot to lose but I feel so much better in my skin, and feel like I can get back to the studio with a fresh perspective full-force in 2016.

• – and I'd better, too! I have three exhibitions lined up this coming year, all two- and three-person. The first goes up and opens on January 8th; another in March, and another in September. I've already been in casual talks about 2017, too! I've got a lot of work to do.

Before I sign off here, let me tell you about my January show. It's at Studio Hart in Buffalo and I was invited to show with a good friend of mine, Elizabeth Switzer (who needs to set up a website already!). It's called The Rest Is Silence and the concept is based around hibernation, sleep, dreams... and, I think, the dread that comes in the deepest, darkest winter months. We're also both creating work that incorporates text.

My statement:


I have been interested in lettering since I was a child and was gifted with the book Lettering and Alphabets by Albert Cavanaugh at age 9. I used to enjoy copying the letters out carefully and found all the different styles of letters intriguing. That love of type was amplified as I grew into an adult and started working as a graphic designer. I work with type every day on a computer screen, but what I really enjoy doing is painting and drawing it by hand—and I still use that old book as a reference for this body of work.

Letterforms can be metaphors for many things. Here I use them as a vehicle for semi-abstract experiments with imperfection, form, color, and contrast, and the dichotomy of absence and presence; I also enjoy choosing the phrases around which I build the compositions. They are picked out of my stream of consciousness at random, and along the way become quite meaningful in their own strange fashion, and interpreted in endless ways depending on who is doing the looking.

Some samples.

"Ships Passing in the Night", ink on paper, 6" x 9", 2015.

"Retro Thinking", ink on paper, 6" x 9", 2015.

Blog as Archive: Thank You!

Thanks to all of you who have followed me on this blog. I am continuing to make and show art; however this blog will remain here now only as an archive. For new and current work, activities, shows, and news, please visit my website, amygreenan.com or Facebook, where I post frequently. Thank you again for all of your support!

echo Art Fair 2012

My gosh, surely it can't be that one month has already passed since my last post?

Time sure does fly when you're busy having fun. Since then I celebrated my birthday, made lots of new paintings, and sold the one I featured in my last post! I had a lovely studio visit with a new collector who is quite discerning – at 91 years old she has collected a but handful of artworks, and "knows what she likes and doesn't care what anyone else thinks!" She has a beautiful, light filled penthouse apartment in a restored 1927 building and I am so happy that my painting found such a home among J.'s small, but eclectic and extremely tasteful collection. It is always an honor for me when someone responds strongly enough to a painting to buy it and live with it, but it's really special when I get a glimpse into a collector's life and how that work fits into it. Making a (partial) livelihood from the work I do is always a great thing, but I can't downplay how much I enjoy building relationships with collectors and appreciators. It really fuels what I do in the studio. Thank you, J.!

In other news, I have been busy getting ready for echo Art Fair coming this weekend in Buffalo, NY. I'll be among about 40 individual artists and a handful of galleries with booths showing and selling art. It's a two-day weekend affair that kicks off with a VIP party on Friday evening, and based on my experience last year and all the chatter that's been all over town this year, I have a feeling this is going to be a fantastic event all around. I do urge you to have a look at the website for all information regarding the schedule, the exhibitors, and more – it's going to be an exciting time for all involved. Now in its second year, echo has grown to include galleries from Toronto, Canada and artists from the  beyond the immediate region. 


I'd like to share with you images of just some of the work that I will have to offer at my booth (number 16, by the way, in case you're able to attend!). In addition to paintings on canvas, I will also offer smaller framed works on paper (ink drawings, collages) as well as larger painted pieces on unframed Yupo paper. I hope you enjoy – let me know what you think!

(As yet untitled) acrylic on canvas, 15" x 30", 2012.

Great Expectations, acrylic on canvas, 15" x 24", 2012.

(As yet untitled) acrylic on canvas, 15" x 30", 2012.

The Void, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 16", 2012.

Tidal Wave, acrylic and ink on Yupo paper, 27" x 53", 2011.

The Telephone Game

The name of my newest painting, finished just today, is The Telephone Game. There was something about the way the two buildings are juxtaposed that reminded me of kids hanging out the windows with tin cans connected with twine... and that phrase popped into my head. Of course, that game is the one when a chosen phrase ends up being very different once it reaches the last person in the group, having been whispered (and translated) in a multitude of ears... such an evocative concept!

The Telephone Game, acrylic on canvas, 29" x 42", 2012. (click for larger view)

Then, upon posting this photo on my personal Facebook page (you can like my Amy Greenan Art page there if you wish!), my good friend Alfred offered the comment,

Your houses tell more stories than most people.

It is a reaction like that to the work that tells me I am doing it right.

Busy in the studio

I don't think anything makes me more happy lately than losing track of time spent in my studio. Yesterday I had a marathon canvas prep session and now have eight canvases of various sizes ready to paint – so satisfying... but you know what's even more so? Actually sitting at the easel working on a new painting, like I did today. This little guy is finished and will be headed to Syracuse in the fall as part of my showing in The Other New York biennial there.

Not Here, Not Now, acrylic on canvas, 15" x 15", 2012.

It's so nice knowing that even on my gloomiest day (and I have had a few lately) I have a place I can go where everything else is forgotten, and I can get lost in the work. I feel so lucky to be living this life, despite the associated pitfalls. The positives tend to outweigh any negative aspect, it seems. Now that it's been almost two years since I left the 9 to 5 world, I can honestly say that I am making it work, I am on a trajectory.

Some days, you just have to ruminate on this stuff. 

Impromptu Open Studio TONIGHT!

I'll be hosting an informal open studio tonight, 5–10pm. My studio is located at the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (The NACC), room 340. For more information, have a look at the e-newsletter I sent out yesterday. You can also sign up to receive future newsletters there – I generally send them monthly, but sometimes a little more frequently if I have more things to tell you about.

This is my first public event and while it was spur of the moment to coincide with the opening of the Polaris exhibition put on as a collaboration between the NACC and 464 Gallery in Buffalo, I am very excited (some of our best ideas come at the last minute!). I figured that if a bunch of folks were coming up to Niagara Falls to attend, I may as well be around and open for some traffic! (I am also looking forward to seeing the show, too, mind you!)

Some of my Big Fragments will be on view!

Hope to see you there!

The Materials, the Process

I'm just about wrapping up the more busy time of the year this week, and had off from any point responsibilities yesterday and today. I spent a lot of time just surfing around the internets, I admit it – but I also do a lot of research, too, and dreaming, about things like the residencies or art workshops I'd like to attend, other artists I admire, etc.

One thing I try to impart to my students is the value of the process, that is, that the end product is not always the most important thing. Playing with a new material and letting it dictate the process and even the content is not always easy to do, but invariably opens you up into a whole new direction never before achieved or even imagined.

I don't know that I expect such amazing things when I get myself some acrylic gouache, but I am very excited to experiment with a (slightly) new media. Of course in the past I have used water-based gouache and I have been using acrylic paint as my main medium for a few years now. But the idea of getting the same look and feel of gouache (kind of matte, opaque, lovely) and be able to layer because it doesn't wash away is tantalizing.

I was looking at a listing of summer workshops at Cullowhee Mountain Arts in North Carolina and found the fantastic painter Susan Lichtman, who is scheduled to teach one. I would love to have the chance to meet her and study under her for a few days, but since I can't, instead downloaded the supply list for the class. It's funny how such a list can be so inspiring! I'm hoping to get a starter set of acryl gouache within the next week or two.

This may also be a good chance for me to get back to figures in my work again, too... that's something I've been thinking about for a few months now. I even have a couple of friends who said that they would sit for me, so I'll even have easy access to subject matter.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at how to approach this, but maybe just sitting down and sketching out some loose compositional ideas might help. I want to connect these figures to my houses somehow, which shouldn't be too hard. I'm also going to be an artist-in-residence this summer (more on that as I have more solid information – very exciting!) that will enable me to work outside among people, a stark contrast to the solitary conditions in which I usually work. Lots of potential models in that kind of situation!

The coming weeks and months have so much potential... I need to make lists to organize my thoughts and my priorities so I don't miss anything. In addition to lots of studio time, I am also looking forward to working in my gardens, spending time with friends and family, cultivating my career...

Studio Open for Classes and Lessons!

Though I assume most of my readers live far away from Niagara Falls, NY, where my studio is, I thought I would share information about the classes and lessons that I am now able to offer. After all, I did have a student come from Florida to study bookbinding with me a couple years ago (Hi, Dianna!), and another with her daughter from Pennsylvania (Hi, Kaersten and Olivia!).

I have several one-day workshops and four-week courses lined up for early summer, starting on May 15th. These include bookbinding, printmaking, painting, and drawing. You can view the Facebook event page for the initial offerings of bookbinding workshops, and you can also head over to my website to get more information about my general offerings, as well as a downloadable brochure.

In addition to what is listed, I have the flexibility to work around a student's schedule. We can work something out if the days and times I have planned don't work for you! Days, evenings, weekends... whatever!

If you are indeed from out of town, perhaps you'd like to plan a trip to Niagara Falls and include a one-day workshop with me! In addition to teaching, I can advise you on some fun things to do and see in the region, which is rich with culture and history. (Also, Buffalo is just minutes away and has lots to do!) Though the city of Niagara Falls, NY is a mere ghost of the tourist capital it used to be, the falls themselves are a must-see and on the American side we have a lovely, more natural view of them. You can also go over to the Canadian side for the admittedly more showy view, but you also have an extremely commercialized version. Both sides are worth exploring.

Anyway, whether you're a local or a tourist, I hope that you'll keep me in mind when you get a creative urge!

On a Roll

This weekend I completed one more painting – a smaller one for good measure – that I will be taking to a meeting with me tomorrow (perhaps more news on that soon!). I'm really enjoying this flow of creative energy I've been having lately, sure, spurred by deadlines, but wonderful nonetheless. School isn't quite over yet and this is a good sign for my productivity in the studio come summer break.

All while in the studio finishing this up today, the Earth, Wind, and Fire song "September" was playing in my head, hence the title. It seemed appropriate somehow, too. It feels a bit like that time of year.

September, 16" x 20", acrylic on canvas, 2012.

Meanwhile, there I was in my studio with both big windows wide open letting the fresh air, lovely sunshine, and city noises waft in. When I take my "step away" breaks from painting, I like to lean in the open window and admire the view – a small city park right across the street, and just the general sort of small cityness that is Niagara Falls. I have a love/hate relationship with it. When I am in the studio, though, I always love it.

This painting was one of those that came very easy with little trouble at all. Of course it had its awkward adolescence phase, but it didn't last long. I am happy with the lovely subtle color shifts that happen here – unfortunately hard to see really well in a photo (you can and should click to enlarge, though!). There are some yellow tones coming through the pale blue sky, and some unexpected colors on the roof line and to the right of the house – see that deep olive green diagonal line that connects with a line of washy red and blue? You can't plan that kind of thing, and it is always a thrill when it happens. 

New Work for Specific Things

I've been busy since getting back from the Affordable Art Fair a couple weeks ago. (I almost sold out of the work I sent down for the Uprise Art booth, what a wonderful surprise!) Luckily, the school year is finishing out with just one more week to go, after which time I have a whole list of things to do, both in and out of the studio!

Most recently, I've made a couple works for upcoming shows. The first will appear at the Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University later this year as part of the TopSpin retrospective. This was the series of solo shows featuring emerging regional artists, where I had my first solo museum show in 2009.

No Way In, No Way Out, Acrylic on canvas, 35" x 60", 2012.

Just last night, I finished up a piece to submit to the unjuried members show, The Artists Among Us, at the Burchfield Penney Art Center. That means literally anyone who is a member of the museum can submit work! By the time I got there to deliver my painting, over 600 submissions had been made, with several hours to go. It's going to be a HUGE exhibition, pity the curators, preparators, and other museum staff who must hang everything in a matter of days. (Opens May 11th, 2012!)

Ocean Size, Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40", 2012.

I Heart Amtrak

Tomorrow's the day... headed down to NYC. I'll arrive in the evening and then Sunday probably spend most of the day at or around the Affordable Art Fair. I just thought I'd post one more time here about it – stop by the Uprise Art booth to have a look at my work and maybe even catch me for a quick hello!

Love me a long train ride...

New York City, here I come!

I've been really excited about this: I will have work exhibited and available for sale at the Affordable Art Fair in New York next week! I won't actually be there the whole time, but I am going to be at and around the Uprise Art booth on the last day, Sunday the 22nd.

April 18–22, 2012

Affordable Art Fair New York City

(Uprise Art booth B-6)

7 West 34^th Street near Fifth Ave., NYC


If you're in the area, I hope you'll come out and say hello! It would be great to see you.

I will represented by several works: two acrylic paintings on canvas, two framed ink drawings, and five unframed collages on paper. This is all work completed in 2012, with the collages being the newest. To pique your interest, I'd like to share a series of images of the work that you can see in person at the fair – some shown here on the blog before, some not. Enjoy!

Back Beyond the Stream, 14" x 11"

When We Two Parted, 14" x 11"

Two Hearts Beat As One, 12" x 16"

Big Fragment 1, 7.5" x 11"

Big Fragment 2, 7.5" x 11"

Big Fragment 3, 7.5" x 11"

Big Fragment 4, 7.5" x 11"

Big Fragment 5, 7.5" x 11"

Still Lives: Work by Jan Nagle and Amy Greenan

I am so excited to tell you about my latest exhibition, which opens this Friday. It's a two-person show featuring me and my good friend, Jan Nagle, who works mainly in photography and video. Our work intersects in many ways and I can't wait to see how it looks hung together in one space.

Big thanks to curator Nancy Nixon for inviting us together for this opportunity at the Octagon Gallery of the Patterson Library in Westfield, NY. It's an amazing space – both gallery and library – that is worth seeing for the architecture and displays alone, not to mention the artwork. I'll be showing paintings, drawings, and collages dating from 2010 through 2012, including works never seen before, like this painting.

Blast Off! Two, Acrylic on canvas, 50" x 34", 2012.

I'm excited about this one because it is starting to bridge the "blacking out" of the house forms that I've been doing in the smaller works on paper that I've been enjoying making so much, into paintings on canvas.

I hope that if you're local you'll be able to attend the opening this Friday, or come see the show while it's up for the next month.

The details are:

Still Lives: Works by Jan Nagle and Amy Greenan Octagon Gallery at the Patterson Library, 40 S. Portage St., Westfield, NY
Opening reception Friday, April 6th, 7–9pm
Exhibition through May 4th, 2012

BSDA!

It's up and running -- my online solo show at Buy Some Damn Art - curated by the lovely Kate Singleton! There'll be a Q&A to come, too. Please spread the word to all your art-interested pals?

Coming Soon!

It's going to be an exciting week. I'm going to have an online solo show at Buy Some Damn Art for the week of January 31st. All six pieces featured will be for sale for several weeks after as well. I'd like to share a preview with you here, one of the works that will be offered!

On Friday, February 3rd the show Love for Sale III will open at Studio Hart on Allen St. in Buffalo. I had a solo show there last summer and really looking forward to being among an amazing selection of Buffalo area artists. Here is one of three works that will be available there.

More to come, stay tuned!

New Work

I've really been enjoying having a real space to work in again, and have been quite productive! I have a few announcements to make in the next week or so and will save the surprise, but in the meantime I can share a few images.

Three works on paper for an upcoming group show at Studio Hart in Buffalo, called Love for Sale III...



These have titles like: "Hardcore Valentine", "Two Hearts Beat as One", and "Heart and Soul". The images aren't so much about love or valentines as much as what was going through my mind while I was finishing them... word associations with music. The bands Wire, U2, and Joy Division were the inspirations here.

Then, I have some works on small wood panels made for one of my collectors. This one is my favorite of the three. It's 7" x 5".

Catching Up

Wow, well... I guess it has been a while since I posted here, hasn't it? And look, I've got 40 followers now, that's exciting. Thank you for signing up and reading, everyone – I am hoping to provide more regular content for you to enjoy.

My main point for posting today was to tell you that I FINALLY got my long-promised e-newsletter going, and sent out my first campaign the other day. You can view it here, and subscribe to it as well if you like. I plan on sending out fairly monthly emails, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more depending on how exciting my art career is or isn't at a given point in time.

Coming off a very busy summer, I'm in the middle or a very busy fall. I'm teaching *ahem* six classes at three different colleges, plus still doing some art stuffs, as mentioned in the newsletter. Plus there is more to come, so keep your eyes peeled and subscribe – surely you don't want to miss out on anything. Also note that with the holiday season coming up quickly, I'll likely do an exclusive email subscriber-only special offer on selected artwork. Ooh, fun times!

Those of you who donated to my awesomely successful Kickstarter fundraiser, I am still (embarrassingly) working on fulfilling the rewards. Pathetic, I know – but seriously, I am NOT bailing out on anyone, just more busy and less organized than I should be. Now that one of my obligations (online teaching) is off the table for a while, I should be able to tie all that up soon. Feel free to bug me about it.

So, I am very excited that I've been invited to attend my first fundraising gala (that is, a fancy party!) at the Castellani Art Museum this Saturday. I am donating a small piece of artwork and will very much enjoy hobnobbing with the hobnobbers and having a nice meal and wearing fancy (for me) clothes, like a dress and tights. The Castellani has been so great to me and really helped get things going for me as an artist. They are certainly a worthy cause and I am happy to be part of this celebratory fundraising effort.

I think that just about brings things up to date for now... stay tuned for more developments, they are coming!

A Last-Ditch Effort with Kickstarter

Hello all,

I've just launched a Kickstarter project to help fund attending an artist residency at Ox-Bow and a whole summer full of art-making. Please feel free to pass on the link — I would greatly appreciate any and all support, even if it is to share the link or make a post on your blog. There are lots of fun rewards for all donation levels!

Getting Ready, and, It's Going to Be An Ox-Bow Kind of Summer

I had off today from any sort of obligations whatsoever. It felt really good. I slummed it a bit, but I also managed to make progress cleaning the basement. This is necessary not only because it was so messy that it was depressing, but also because my studio is down there and I am due to have some curatorial type folks come by one day soon (pretty much once I get my studio in order, so I had better get to it!).

So the basement as a whole is now in much better shape, but my studio still needs tidying and organizing. For the past couple months, I've been mainly running in and grabbing stuff I need and then throwing it back in when I'm done. You can imagine what any room will look like after a couple months of that sort of activity.

I don't think it will take too long to get it in presentable order, and I am excited to reclaim the space as somewhere I can make new work. I need to start doing that like yesterday with all the stuff I have coming up this summer and fall.

On another note, I am thrilled, like THRILLED to announce that I have been awarded my first artist residency! I'll have the pleasure of two weeks at Ox-Bow in July to focus on my work. It is much needed!

It's really going to be an Ox-Bow kind of summer, because if you recall I mentioned that I will also be attending the Paper & Book Intensive in May, which also takes place at Ox-Bow.

I hear they have the most excellent food there.

Art Hound!

A few days ago I discovered a wonderful site/blog about art called Art Hound. I just love Kate's sensibilities and wrote to her right about how I get inspired by other collectors of more modest means like her, and to introduce my own work. To my surprise, she profiled my abandoned house paintings yesterday! No joke!

To say I was thrilled was certainly an understatement. I have a lot of back reading to do... Kate picks some really interesting artists among who I am happy to be among the ranks!

***

It's been too long since I've been in touch, I know. How have you been?

I'm busy! I'm still thoroughly enjoying my new life path as an independent artist and teacher. First, I'll tell you about the shows I have lined up in 2011.

• Until April 9th, I have my (almost) complete set of house paintings at Gibson Gallery at SUNY Potsdam.

• In July, I'll be showing my work along with Elizabeth Leader at WNYBAC.

• In August, I'm having a show with another as yet undetermined artist at Studio Hart.

• In October, my first international solo exhibition! It'll be at Weston College's Bath Spa Gallery in Weston-super-Mare, England. I will be traveling there to attend the opening and perhaps do some other travel and activities.

I'm also excited to announce that in May, I'll be attending the wonderful two-week long Paper and Book Intensive at Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, MI. I have also been awarded a Nell Meldahl Scholarship which pays for half tuition. I couldn't be more pleased, though I have to admit that it will be strange being away from home for that long. I'm sure the time will fly by, though!

I've been continuing to make house paintings and still enjoy exploring their possibilities... but I have also been missing working with the figure and portraiture, inspired by artists like Leonard Rosoman, whom I read about in a book about acrylic painting a few months ago. I love how he combines architectural elements and puts his figures into sometimes quite elaborate scenes. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any of the works that appear in that book to show you at the moment, but maybe I will try to photograph the pages because his work is stuff people should know about. I was rather shocked that he flew over my radar all these years!

Recently, my website got a wee bit of an update, a little dressing up and updated text, etc. I'm still working on getting a suitable gallery section together, but for now you'll be directed to my Flickr which I manage to update much more frequently.

I'm aiming to post more often here again! So much more to tell you about! Until next time...