Amy cutler artist biography

No question about it, Amy Cutler is an artistic mixologist. The inspirations for her drawings and gouache -on-paper works encompass anxieties about global warming, Persian dynastic stories, a favored pair of shoes, and deceased family members. An idea can come from just about anywhere, arising most often when the artist is simply sketching.

This almost subconscious way of arriving at visual narrative is a process that, for Cutler, goes way back. Nowadays, not much has changed for Cutler, minus the rodent payback. Her studio routine consistently involves drawing and making thumbnail sketches before selecting and fine-tuning a final composition.

Amy cutler drawings

She makes a habit of reviewing retired sketchbooks filled with years-old drawings, which often provide her with new inspiration. In Molar Migration , for instance, Cutler began with an image that she had drawn years before: a human head opened up like a medicine chest to reveal all the busy inner workings of the mind. Still, Cutler puts a lot out there.

Instead, she sees them simply as everyday women. The tasks they perform are less physical challenges and more about the nature of being consumed by a duty or a situation and the resulting tension that comes from it. No matter the task at hand, all of the figures face their conditions with stern aplomb, seemingly unmoved by any obstacle they face.

I actually picture myself looking the same way they do while I am painting—concentrated in this time-consuming task, getting serious and withdrawn. It allows her to achieve meticulous detail in the many costumes, textiles, and objects that fill her images.

Amy cutler artist website

It is not about how the paint sits on the surface. Cutler uses gouache because of the intensity of the colors available and the fact that the pigment dries matte, an excellent way to mask surface quality. That just sticks out.