This week's Artist of the Week is the soulful, AmW of Estetika Exposure!! Check her out!!
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| AmW |
"I've managed to shock myself."
2ND STREET: Tell us about you. Where are you from? Where are you now?
AmW : Born and raised in New England, artist AmW (born Alicia M. Walter) began her journey in Springfield Massachusetts. It was in 2001, at the age of 22, when Artist AmW gave her first try at being an artist. However, lacking the confidence she needed within herself, AmW walked away from her art. It wasn’t until 2011, with the support of her husband, family and small circle of close friends that she picked up a paint brush and was able to give her craft another try.
Now residing in Upstate New York, AmW started her business, Estetika Exposure: Art by AmW. The business name was inspired by one of her close friends.
Estetika means ‘beautiful’ in the Indonesian language, as well as in the Latin language. Estetika Exposure: Art by AmW. “Exposing you to beautiful art, one canvas at a time. “
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| Dad's Leo Collage |
2ND STREET: In one word, describe your art.
AmW: One word to describe my art would be, soulful.
2ND STREET: What inspires you?
AmW: For me inspiration comes from many places ranging from music, nature, conversation, certain scents, and even the works of other artists. I feel that I am in sync with nature and my surroundings. At times I can be inspired off of the environment that I am in. For example, my husband, Kareem, took me on a hike at Buttermilk Falls in New York. The crisp clean air, powdered blue sky with the rays of the sun reflecting on the waterfall along the trail, was absolutely amazing. Upon returning from our trip, I was inspired to paint and I did! When listening to music for inspiration, I don’t generally listen to mainstream music and actually prefer the music of upcoming artists such as the Soft Spoken Prophet in Massachusetts music group Zection 8 in MA-FL-PA, and even special music mixes by DJ Gains Bond in Connecticut.
2ND STREET: Who is your favorite artist living or passed on?
AmW: I’m not too familiar with the names of other artists, but I do admire the works of local artists in my hometown such as Marlon Seymour and Zeph Farmby. I also admire the works of artist, Dominic Brown of Mayluna.com in the Netherlands, Kenyan artist, Wangechi Mutu, Brazilian artist, Julian Gasllasch, and Cory Pane of Hartford Connecticut.
2ND STREET: Do you ever get “Artist’s block”? If so, how do you get over it?
AmW: absolutely had periods of times where I haven’t been inspired to paint or create graphics. In my opinion, creativity cannot be rushed. I’ll step away for a few hours and even sometimes days or weeks until the inspiration comes to me. And when it does, it’s nothing less than amazing and such a blessing.
2ND STREET: How long does it take for you to complete a piece?
AmW: I generally do not time myself when I’m creating. I focus so much on the piece that I’m creating that time seems not to exist. However, most recently I did a painting for my father’s Christmas gift and that took about an hour. And the results would seem as if I spent days or weeks on it. I've managed to shock myself.
2ND STREET: Tell us about your current projects.
AmW: Thankfully, keeping busy has not been a problem for me thus far and I owe God all the thanks and praise for my success and the people He has placed in my life.
Currently, I am planning two art exhibits scheduled for April and March 2013. I am also working on a painting that is being donated to The Purple Society to be auctioned off in January 2013. The Purple Society is a cancer foundation supporting the youth and their families. I have other great things planned for 2013 that I can’t wait for the world to see, so stay tuned!
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The Dance
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2ND STREET: How can you be contacted?
AmW:
