Meet Amy of Liminal Layers

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy.

Hi Amy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have lived in Phoenix for over a decade but was born and raised in a very small town in Michigan. I had never considered myself to be creative, and certainly not an “artist”. Creative pursuits were not exactly emphasized or encouraged in my family, and then when added to an unstable sense of self-confidence: I just never went for it.

My background is a bit eclectic. I am a completely self-taught artist, with an academic background in biology (neuro focus) and psychology. I also have experience working in the cannabis industry. After getting completely burnt out by graduate school during the pandemic, I made the difficult but necessary choice to take a step back and prioritize my mental health. Making time and space for myself was what led me to try painting, simply as a therapeutic way of expressing myself. I fell in love. It was really my therapist who encouraged me to share my art with others, to continue sharing, and let myself be known.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It shocked me and continues to surprise me, that people actually like my art. A huge part of why I didn’t start making art under my own name was because I wanted more neutrality in the feedback: I tend to think friends, or others that know me, would just say they like something I made for the sake of being polite (and I know that’s a “me” thing that I’m working hard to undo!). It’s like I wanted to do an experiment to see if people would still like my art if it was from a nameless and faceless person. I am one of the biggest obstacles in my path, but I know my confidence will grow as I put myself out there more and more.

Going from solely attempting to make art for therapeutic purposes to expanding that hobby into something bigger has been a lot of work. Unless you have the resources to hire a team, you have to essentially become your own photographer, videographer, social media manager, marketer, and customer service agent. It has not been easy but I am learning so much. I have to remind myself that much of this just takes time to build and that I need to continue putting myself out there, out of my comfort zone.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I make abstract paintings with fluid acrylics. I love experimenting with different techniques. My favorite technique is the flip cup method, and I add in silicone to create more “cells”. The results are always an exciting surprise, as it’s difficult to know exactly how the different paints will interact with each other when combined into one (or more) cups.

Despite how random the process seems, I can confirm that the finished results are always a visual representation of aspects of the emotions and energy present during the painting’s creation. My artwork is a completely authentic expression of my psyche, including the unconscious parts. In that sense, the paintings are deeply personal and intimate; not everything needs words or form to be felt and understood.

I am extremely grateful to have quickly gained some recognition for my art. New City Studio, in downtown Phoenix, reached out to me about participating in their group exhibition “Becoming” in November 2022. It was exciting not only because it was my first art exhibition (and during First Friday at that!), but I also sold my first painting during the opening reception!

Since then, I have entered two online art competitions and exhibitions. I ranked in the top 14 and won the Silver Award for my painting “Vivid Synapses” in the “All Abstracts 2022” International Juried Art Exhibition by Camelback Gallery. Just recently, three of my paintings were accepted into the 10th Annual “ALL Color” Online Art Competition and Exhibition by Contemporary Art Gallery Online (“Ambivalent”, “The Eye’s Golden Path”, and “Purple’s Paradise”).

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
We need connection now more than ever. I think many people already had a difficult time connecting and relating, and the pandemic made it even more complicated.

Art will always be available as a connective mechanism: humans have been admiring, connecting to, and feeling each other’s art (and therefore, on some level, understanding the individuals themselves) since we were making art on cave walls. It’s something wired within us.

Pricing:

• “Vivid Synapses”, 11″x14″: $125
• “Ambivalent”, 11”x14”: $80
• “The Eye’s Golden Path”, 11”x14”: $175
• “Purple’s Paradise”, 12”x16”: $225
• (16″x20″ Paintings: Please Inquire)

Contact Info:

• Website: liminal-layers.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/liminal.layers
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/liminal.layers