Q & A with Amy Peterson
Artists Incorporated Art Gallery, located in the “Little Red Barn” on Morgan Drive in Vestavia Hills, displays work from more than 50 local artists. On the first Friday of each month, the public is invited to a Featured Artist reception to enjoy refreshments and meet the artists. This month’s featured artist is Amy R. Peterson. For more on Peterson, visit outsidedreaming.com
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Wherever creativity, beauty and healing meet, that’s where I want to be! For me, that’s at the easel painting, on my mat/cushion for yoga, and in the kitchen with food. These passions have led to my current work as an artist, a yoga instructor and a part-time cook. As a creative and “visual” person, I can spend a lot of time in my head. My yoga practice keeps me grounded. Yoga, painting and cooking all have that in common for me: they keep me present, in the moment, and grateful.
I’m a new mom! My sweet Joseph was born in New Mexico, where my husband and I moved last year. The southwest landscape and climate is what attracted us to New Mexico, but it’s wonderful to be back in Alabama with family and friends. I am thrilled to now be represented by galleries in Alabama and New Mexico and look forward to growing as an artist in both regions.
Some people remark that it must be so relaxing to paint and do yoga all day. The truth is it takes a lot of discipline to do what you love for a living. God may provide talent, passion may come naturally, but you must provide the structure to be productive with your muses!
I enjoy sharing in the creative process with others, whether that’s teaching an individual formal painting lessons or art therapy sessions for disabled, homeless or aging populations. I believe very much in the power of art therapy.
Describe what type of art you do.
I paint mostly from life, often outdoors (“plein air”) in an impressionistic style. Like the original Impressionists, I use color and light to capture the impression of a scene rather than every detail. I like to paint an image the way the human eye, not a camera lens, sees it, and that means some areas remain out of focus. In fact, these looser, sometimes more abstracted areas of the painting are usually the most interesting to me.
The inherent challenges to painting outdoors (weather shifting, light changing, insects biting, etc.) make me a better and faster painter. Speed is not my goal, but I am usually happier with paintings that were done quickly, not over-worked. Since my favorite times to paint outdoors are sunrise and sunset, when the magic moments of light are so fleeting, being quick is a necessity.
I mostly paint in oils but enjoy working with other media, too. I prefer to paint with the primary colors and white. Painting with a limited palette helps maintain color harmony throughout the painting, plus you learn a lot mixing your own colors.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Sometimes a scene stands out to me as if it’s already a painting … sunlight through trees, the textures of a city scene, sheep grazing or whatever it may be … I immediately envision the scene as a painting. When I “see” an image as a painting already, that’s a pretty good indication that it will be a successful painting. If I’m able, I paint it right then and there. If not, I may take a photograph or paint from memory.
Inspiration can also start with a single color, design or pattern that I see or imagine, or a thought, an emotion, a poem or song, or a person. If I am painting a commissioned work for someone, a pet’s portrait for example, I’m often inspired by their special relationship or the pet’s personality as I paint it.
What do you enjoy most about creating your art?
Being in the “zone.” When I am focused on painting, I get in that zone that artists of all kinds speak of. This happens anytime the action and the doer become one. For me, it’s most evident in the painting process. When I review a painting the next day or even years later, I often find areas that surprise me. I do not recall executing a certain bold brush stroke, for example, but it works so well. Had I been thinking about it at the time, I might have done it timidly or overworked it. But when in the zone it almost paints itself!
With a 9-month-old at home, I am not painting every day. But, when I do, I feel accomplished in a way that only painting provides for me. I feel as if I am doing what I was meant to do.
What’s the greatest compliment you’ve ever received about your work?
I am particularly touched when people share with me where they’ve hung my paintings. They may have it where it’s the first thing they see in the morning or when they come home, or they’ve paired it with another beloved piece in their collection. Knowing that my paintings have become a part of someone’s home or office, adding unique value to that space, is incredibly rewarding!
For more on Peterson, visit her website outsidedreaming.com. Artists Incorporated is located at 3365 Morgan Drive. For more visit artistsincorporated.com.