AMY DRYER -VISUAL ARTIST
1. What is your name? Amy Dryer.
2 . What type of genre of artist are you?
I am an expressive painter. I have always been drawn to abstract expressionism and German expressionism and associate my style with these historical movements. As a painter, I walk the line between the representation of subject matter and abstraction.
3 . Where were you born, and where are you living now if its is different?
I was born at the Grace Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, and now live up the hill from that same hospital. I have traveled to Scotland, Eastern Canada, and Iceland for school and artist residencies, but Calgary is my home base. I have a studio downtown, which I always return to.
4 . What is your education background? Or artistic training?
I attended the Alberta College of Art and Design, the Glasgow School of Art (Scotland) and the Fine Art program at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, to receive my Bachelor of Fine Arts/ minor in English. After post-secondary, I have focused on National and International residency programs, some of which include: Emma Lake Saskatchewan in 2009 and Banff Centre in 2013. In January 2017, I attended an artist residency in Reykjavik, Iceland, and have since been invited to its sister residency in Berlin, Germany.
5. What type of medium do you used to express yourself?
I am primarily a painter/ drawer as I have always felt that oil paint best expressed my gestural style. I like to reference the artistic process in my work, leaving the marks and layers. Whether it is the raw mark of the vine charcoal that I use when I sketch out my subject, or the textured oil paint layers building on top of themselves in various glazes, the process of the painting is apparent to the viewer as he/he experiences the work. I find the revealing and concealing aspects of showcasing the process in the work to be particularly engaging – both as a painter and a viewer of the painting.
6, What are you some of your influences or inspirations?
I am influenced by a handful of favorite painters, many of whom I return to when I am starting a body of work. Beginning a new series is often the most creatively taxing, as I am looking into an empty studio space. As a result, I often turn to the work of Henri Matisse, Richard Diebenkorn, Peter Doig, Franz Mark, Kirschner, Tom Thomson, Fred Varley, Kathe Kolvitz, and Frida Kahlo. These artists span space and time, and are part of the artistic history of Canada, America, Germany and Mexico. The artists are not particularly connected in terms of knowing each other or being part of a specific movement together, but they are all expressive, emotive painters who revel in color, imagination, and the personal reinterpretation and distortion of subject matter. When I am looking for inspiration, I remember that I am part of a lineage and history of artists that have come before me. Their work, and the knowledge that I am part of this history, carries me forward as I create new works and ideas.
7. Was there a defining moment when you realized that you wanted to follow your creative passion ? When was that and can you briefly describe it?
I have always had an internal energy – a spirit if you will – that made me who I was as both a child and now adult. I am baffled and amazed by the magnetism that the artistic practice holds for me. I feel that being an artist is my both my calling and my vocation – something that I didn’t necessarily choose to engage in, but was instinctively drawn to. As a child, I could focus my energy on a creative project for long periods of time, and my parents encouraged this interest.
The creative passion initially drove me, but the love and daily discipline of practice carries me. I like the intertwined aspects of organization, pragmatism, order and business coupled with painterly mess, chaos and materiality.
8. What are some of your themes or subject matter?
My artistic themes and ideas tend to change depending on two main reasons: where the work will be showcased and personal experience. For example, I just opened a show at Buckland Merrifield Gallery in Saint John, New Brunswick, and made a series of paintings that were regionally based. The pieces captured specific buildings and areas in New Brunswick; however, the work also described my personal relationship to the Maritime provinces as I am connected to Eastern Canada through family and history. I often intertwine themes that pertain to place and my personal connection to these subjects, and/or places.
9. Can you tell us about your creative process or routines as an artist?
My artistic practice and process tends to be cyclical. I start with an empty studio, stretching and prepping canvas; I am also thinking of themes and ideas, looking at images, books and having art discussions with my husband, Aaron. Once the canvas is prepped, primed, and colored, I begin layering my paintings, gathering reference material, and layering paintings some more. I am aiming to build up a solid under-layer of texture and color; once I have this, I start to draw into the paint. I am continually discussing ideas with Aaron, and layering more, deciding what parts of the painting I want to cover up and glaze over and what parts to reveal. Once the work is complete, I have it professionally photographed, and I begin the process of preparing for presentation. The canvases are wired, the sides are painted and the pieces are titled on the back. The work is shipped or sent to the gallery and I prepare for artist talks and presentations throughout the duration of the exhibit. I meet people for coffee, give personal tours of the work, and generally aim to promote the show while it is hanging. On completion of the opening and show, I return to my studio and start the process over again.
10. How do you move through artistic blocks?
I generally have about two to three solo shows per year in different galleries throughout Canada. My artistic challenges mostly come after I open my show and return to my studio. Met with the empty space of my studio, I often feel a little down. I not only have to let go of my previous idea, theme and body of work, I have to start all over again with a new idea and orientation. Conceiving of a new theme is difficult for me since I don’t yet have momentum in any particular direction. However, once I’ve gotten a few paintings completed in the studio, I start to feel more at ease with the process. These first paintings give voice and direction to the next body of pieces; they usually create the foundation and momentum as I continue to paint for another show.
11. What projects are you working towards at the moment.?
I am currently at the stage where I am starting a new body of work, as I returned from my exhibit in New Brunswick in mid June. The work that I am now making will show at Masters Gallery this coming fall. My general idea relates to abundance and quietness, and the contact of these two ideas as they pertain to the Icelandic and Canadian landscapes.
My long-term goals involve the continual showing of my work in Canada, but also outside of my home country. I think it would be exciting to show work in the US (possibly Boston), Iceland and Berlin. I have recently started showing with a new gallery in Toronto.
13. What are some of your struggles as an artist?
When I started my art career, I was impatient for it to be established. I think this is an exciting element of youth – the impatience, naivety, and extreme energy/ enthusiasm to get something off of the ground. However, as with everything, a career is a process and it takes time to build it up. At the beginning, I received hundreds of rejection letters (all of which I have kept) – I continued regardless. I made my way though some tougher times, and now, as a mid-career artist, I need to pick and choose what to be involved with.
14. Do you feel the city influences your work?
For me, the city of Calgary has influenced my work, yes. I have a sense of ‘big skies and big possibilities’ in the West. I also think the Western mentality involves both change and risk (associated with people coming West to establish new lives, farms, and ranches). Becoming an artist is an extremely risky venture – in terms of business – and the fact that I grew up in a city that encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit definitely played into my decision to do what I’m doing. Now, I feel that there is an appreciation and respect for the arts and what it means to start and maintain something new.
Why create? What is the purpose for you?
I have been wondering lately why I create — especially during this world pandemic when galleries are closed, and not too many people are planning to buy paintings. And yet — even without a plan for the work, I still find myself wanting to make it, longing to be in the studio.
I create because being in the art studio reminds me of my own humanity. It reminds me that I am more than my body; I am more than my fear and my grief. I am a creative soul in this world, finding hope in the process of creating. Music, art — its like getting closer to what I perceive God to be. It’s a mystery, and a gift, and a beautiful thing — just the act of creating something. I go to the studio to accept that I feel despair and deep fear at times, and that I can also overcome that through the act of loving the creative process. The beauty and colour of a painting doesn't totally overcome fear, but it somehow moves beyond it. Painting transcends sadness, and that is why I return to it, again and again.
What are some of your dreams for your work or for your life?
Lately, I have been trying not to look too far into the future; my new mantra is 'day by day.'
That said, many of my dreams now revolve around my son. I never knew how much I would love him — and what it would mean to care for a little human so much. I want to see him grow up, to see him learn language, to learn to navigate in this world. I have this vision of him as a teenager leaning in the doorway of my studio, home after school, saying 'hey mom, what are you working on?' I would be painting up a series of flowers; maybe it would be one of those magical spring days where the light surrounds everything with a sort of white hallow. My son would come into the studio to take a look. I suppose I dream that one day he'll be inspired by my work and that I loved it so much and committed my life to it.
I hope that my paintings continue to reflect the truth of my life and that I continue to love the process. I hope that I can remain courageous in the act of creating, to continue to make bodies of work that hang on galleries, studios, businesses, and homes. I hope my work continues to be meaningful, both for me as an artist and for the people who look at it. I dream that my life's work will someday hang together and reflect an artist that lived and painted during the 20th Century, aiming to reflect the everyday moments.
What words of wisdom or advice would you offer an emerging artist if you could?
I would offer an emerging artist the following words of guidance or advice:
I would suggest to continue on; to practice as often as possible; to look for opportunities; to always thank the people who have propped you up and believed in you; to read the poem 'Desiderata' regularly; to let go of the discouraging people and try not to focus on proving yourself to them; to weep and laugh; to commit to your art or vocation whatever it may be; to always call people back; to keep on top of your finances as much as possible; to have someone else do your taxes; to marry or pick a partner who believes in your work as much as you do; to practice cal decisions where business is concerned; to be happy for others who succeed; to fall and fail and wonder WTF you're doing and then to keep doing it.