In the mysterious internal landscape, where our experiences are not solid, knowable objects, where our feelings come and go, and where our deeper selves reside, my work explores what it feels like to be human, alive, limited, with all the vulnerability, yearning, resilience, and complexity inherent inside us.

My recent work is a collection of collages, paintings, and sculptural works of women, referencing aspects of their depth, complexity, vulnerability, and strength. Pulling from lived experience with disability and difficulty, the creatures in the work are nuanced and strange, broken and fierce, filled with conflicting parts as they figure out how to move forward and fight back in a world rife with problems.

Usually, I start my creative process by sitting down with photographs, paint, paper, and mixed media supplies. I cut, connect, disconnect, smear, and experiment until a figure with a sense of honest complexity and embodied presence emerges. These small works on paper are finished pieces themselves but are also often the inspiration for larger paintings and sculptures as I continue to explore.

www.amyjdyck.com

amyjdyckartist@gmail.com

What inspires your art practice and keeps you motivated?

I find the complexity of the human internal landscape fascinating and the ways we adapt and evolve when faced with hard things. This feeds into my work.

How does your mission as an artist influence the work you create?

My mission is to explore, understand, express, and play. My work is exploratory, sometimes insightful, and playful.

Can you share a key part of your creative process that helps you stay focused?

Coming into my practice with an intention to play helps me avoid over-thinking, connects me to the joy of making the work, and makes more difficult topics more accessible for me to talk about.

What mindset tip do you rely on to overcome challenges in your art career?

I try to remain flexible and open as I work. This allows me to adapt to new problems and come up with creative solutions.

How do you hope your art impacts the world or your community?

I hope people see something in the work that makes them feel seen and understood, or that sparks playfulness and curiosity, or makes them smile.