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29 August 2010

To Do

I was going to title this "Goals"... but that seemed too indefinite. "To Do" makes it sound more like a list I have to accomplish, which is my serious intention here. I've come up with a short but serious list of "to do"s that I intend on completing (will complete) within a year from today.

(in no particular order)
-Paint.
-Gallery shows
-Italy
-Grad school (PAFA please, but I just want to go to school again)

Of course there are many things between (cook more, crochet, see friends, work, buy less, waste less, eat better, exercise, etc). But these are my tops. One is definite, another is MORE than likely, and the other 2 depend on how hard I work.

Yay :)

25 August 2010

16 Innings and MELT

So the past 48 hours have been... interesting.

I started yesterday off painting peppers. So much fun! The pepper I worked on yesterday was on a 24"x36" canvas. It is this super odd shaped pepper I bought at work, that kind of looks like it was made of wax and then left in the sun a little too long. AMAZING. I love oddly shaped produce. So I worked on that for a while.

Then... the Phillies game.

The game was relatively slow most of the night. We were down 2-1 against the Astros in the bottom of the 9th, until Rollins hit a homer and tied the game. I was so pumped for this at first! And then the 10th inning came... and went. And the 11th. And 12th and 13th. By the time it got around to the 13th there had been hardly anymore hits, and we had used up the majority of our bullpen. Bad news. So I turned to Steph and asked if she wanted to leave after the 13th and she said ok... but we didn't. For whatever reason, we stayed. The Astros go up and then down, no runs. The bottom of the 14th comes around and Howard comes up to bat. THIS is where things get interesting/exciting/mind-blowingly crazy (I'll tell it in terms of my view that night, I didn't get all of the details until the next day). Early in the count he checks his swing and the home plate official defers to the 3rd base official who says he swung and calls it a strike. Everyone boos, obviously. He gets another strike, and on another pitch he checks his swing. I'm going to be honest here... it is hard to judge a checked swing from the 3rd deck in right field... but I REALLY thought he didn't go and neither did anyone else-- EXCEPT the 3rd base ump. Strike 3, Howard is out... and then thrown out of the game!! Aside from the screaming and booing fans, the next thing I see is HOWARD CHARGING THE UMP!!! I literally thought there would be blood, I thought that ump (Barry, by the way) was literally going to get his ass kicked and Howard was going to be suspended. This who debacle caused a disturbance that lasted another 5 minutes and resulted in Charlie, of course, also getting ejected. Pandamonium. I have never heard the Asshole Chant so loud. After this mayhem, we had no first basemen and we down to one reliever. So, Raul moved to first, and OSWALT WENT TO LEFT! It was amazing. Everyone chanted his named. He smiled and it was great. Herndon pitched 2 great innings, but we ended up losing anyway. Still a great game. A great, fun, exciting, 16 inning, 5 1/2 hour game.

I got home around 1:15, fell asleep sometime after 2 and woke up at 3:45 AM for work at 5. Torture.

After I came home and attempted a nap, I delivered my 2 paintings to the gallery!! It is official, I am now being shown in a gallery! Yay!! I can't wait til Friday, it is going to be a blast. The show is called MELT and it is being held at the James Oliver Gallery in Philly. Everyone come out!!

I am exhausted. I think I'm halfway to zombie status, and honestly I'm not even completely sure of what I've written here. Fun idea... I won't reread any of it, and I'll just be amused tomorrow when I see it.

Ci vediamo!

23 August 2010

Fun Art Project

So I have an idea. I love painting inanimate objects as portraits of people. I did this for my senior thesis using shoes. It was really fun.

What if I chose 5 people with peculiar and unique personalities, then painted portraits of different objects that I thought really exemplified these peoples personalities. It sounds kind of strange, but makes perfect sense in my head. Like, have you ever played the game "If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be?" Basically, it's the same thing except I'll paint whatever I stumble upon that looks just like that certain person.

Thoughts? This is really interesting, I might just have to do it.

Name Change

So I'm getting tired of this blog title. Not that I'm getting tired of my name-- I happen to like my name. I'm just getting tired of it being stapled across my blog. I'm looking for something a little more fun and intriguing... something that will make you curious to check this little number out. Suggestions are more than welcome :)

This thought was inspired to me by a fun other blogging artist I happen to know, who you should also know: An Accidental Assemblage

Enjoy!

21 August 2010

The Piazza

So last night a few friends and I went to The Piazza in Northern Liberties. It is full of restaurants, bars, galleries, apartments, and one very large flatscreen TV. It may be hipster-central, but I love it. It reminds me, oh so slightly, of the piazzas in Italy. This one is way more modern. The two friends who are traveling abroad with me in 2011 came last night too. It was a struggle not to go on a complete craze of everything and anything Italian from sitting in a piazza for 3 hours. Not to mention, several of the apartment buildings surrounding the piazza are named after real piazzas in Italy: Navona (Piazza Navona in Rome), Erbe (Piazza delle Erbe in Verona), Del Campo (Campo di Fiore in Rome).

Gahhh. I can't wait until the day when I title a blog "The Piazza" and it's about me sitting and enjoying life in real Italian piazzas. This one in Philly will do for now though.

15 August 2010

A New Leap in Art

So I just got back from an amazing week of vacation where I slacked off in every responsible aspect of my life, except for my responsibility to relax and enjoy myself-- that I made sure to do. I drew one time and it was awful and I didn't finish. But that's fine, I can work on it at home if I want to. The week was full of beach, seafood, books, water, wine, and aloe vera. I only got a little sunburnt on one day, and the rest of my beach days were glorious... minus the UNBELIEVABLY hot sun! I don't ever remember the sun scorching like that. I also don't ever remember a vacation to Hilton Head where we didn't venture out of Palmetto Dunes. There was literally only two times we left the plantation/resort/community area we always stay in: 1.) for some shopping that was only semi-successful, and 2.) for gelato, which was also only semi-successful (not a great gelato experience, but what else would you expect not in Italy?). And to be honest, I had absolutely no problem with our lack of excursions. I was hoping for a quick trip to Savannah, but once we were there and settled I was fine with just staying in. Our house was a 150 yd walk to the beach, and a 50 yd walk to the lagoon, where we sat at least once a day to either fish or just sit on the dock. One night we actually saw an alligator in the lagoon (there haven't been alligator sightings in the lagoon in yearsssssssss!). It freaked my brother out a little, especially since we had taken a canoe ride in the same lagoon that very morning. Whatever. We're home now with all limbs and digits intact.

Aside from getting a nice little tan and a ton of relaxation, the best thing was that I was able to clear my head (for the most part at least). I left everything at home-- friends, work, artwork, past relationships, stress, sadness, whatever had been on my mind before I left. And even better yet, I've been home for almost 24 hrs and none of that has returned yet. I'm loving it! I watched the final episode of Work of Art last night that I had DVR'ed, and loved it. I loved all of the pieces they showed in their final show and definitely agreed with the winner, although I think I would have agreed no matter who won... they were all great I think. But afterwards, like always, I tried to figure out what I would do. I've been having a hard time lately trying to figure out why I make art and what I'm trying to say with it. Up until my senior year, I focused on art because I loved it and I was good at it. I've never really had a real message with my art- aside from my love of making it- until my Senior Thesis. And since then, I've been seriously worried that that was the greatest piece I'll have ever made. I have had a hard time being inspired since then and a hard time coming up with pieces and projects. I can't focus or finish anything without getting bored with it and losing interest. Even most of my Italy paintings lose my interest after awhile... because I don't know what I'm trying to say with them besides how badly I want to be there.

But last night while I was lying in bed I think I came up with something. It's still in the early stages, and still way too personal for me to really share what my plans are though. However, I will say that it will be a big jump from anything I've ever done and may look nothing like what people think of me. To be totally honest, I'm terrified to start it and don't know when I actually will. I almost feel like it's too private/personal to even start at home. I don't really want anyone involved yet. I just feel like this piece or series with be a big help to me.

In the past few months, I've had 2 people who have meant more than the world to me tell me that it seems like I either hide all of my feelings, or it seems like I don't have any, and they don't know how to talk to me. It sucks. I think this new project will address that and hopefully put those opinions to rest. Now it's just to decide when to start.

01 August 2010

Seventy7 Kids

I finished the mural for Seventy 7 Kids today in the Cherry Hill Mall! I'm so excited. My arms and hands ache, my wrists and forearms are sore, and I think I have temporary nerve damage in my right index finger (unrelated injury from spray painting Friday, but still painful and awkward), but all totally worth it. The kids were mostly a big help, and I only had to make some slight touch-ups here and there.

The company I was working for is called Relevent, a marketing firm based in NYC. They sent me a painting they wanted me to replicate onto these big canvases, so unfortunately that means I didn't design this. But I did paint it! The two ladies I worked with were so sweet and helpful, and couldn't have been too much older than me. They were awesome. I gave out a bunch of business cards that will hopefully be passed around back up in the 212, and will hopefully lead to even more jobs!

The kids were mostly sweet and helpful and pretty much listened to whatever directions I gave (with the exception of one... 5 out of 6 isn't bad). I have to tell you, listening to middle school gossip and life-speak is HILARIOUS. I haven't heard so many "like"s and "OMG"s and "she was totally like"s in years. The best was when this one kid model for the store was in the store. Nicole, one of the girls I was working for, came up to the young girls painting with me and told them about the "cuuuute boyyyy". The little painters totally played it off like no big deal... until Nicole rounded the corner and they raced to the edge of the painting to get a look! Anyway, as much as I say I wish I were 10 again... maybe not.