Canadian artist Amy Shackleton is intrigued with the relationship between urban and rural environments. She not only paints these collaborations as subjects, but emphasizes them through her distinctive painting technique.
Amy uses an interesting process to create her unique works of art. She begins with photographs, often of urban scenes in Toronto. She then digitally alters her images into a “calculated design" before adding thin acrylic washes and “spontaneous liquid drips” for a natural touch.
To accentuate the collision of artificial to the natural, Amy adds a final layer of glossy enamel paint to detail architectural growth.
But of course, images always explain things better than words. . . as you’ll see, the painting below is a great example of how Amy creates a juxtaposition of artificial and natural elements in her work.
This urban street scene seems to be overtaken by the “natural” tree branches. . . and underneath the acrylic washes of color, you’ll find that clean architectural detail I mentioned before.
Amy constantly rotates and repositions her canvas to allow her acrylic washes to run into unpredictable details. It’s a nice compromise between artful control and allowing the paint to follow its natural tendencies.
Of course, Amy’s use of color is brilliant. Her bright colors draw the viewer into(often conflicting) scenes that accentuate that rural/urban dichotomy.
One of my favorite paintings of hers is this last one—Amy’s paints have totally taken over, yet one can still see the lights and activity of an urban area.
In both color and form, it’s an absolutely stunning abstract full of dynamic movement and vibrant energy.
I invite all of you to visit Amy’s website at www.aimartistry.com to experience the rest of her distinctive, stunning paintings.