Amy Guidry

Amy Guidry is an American artist, known for her interest in human psyche and behavior, but also for exploring the interaction between the people, animals, and nature. She uses Surrealism as the element that brings together art and psychology, the two areas that influenced her the most. The focus in her work is on the circle of life, and on all the interconnectedness that exists between the life forms. Her photo-realistic imagery consists of human and animal figures, to which she adds incredible details, leaving the completed composition, with all its depth and distinctiveness. Amy is one of the rare artists that understand the natural order and its complexity.

Amy Guidry’s Education

The artist was born in 1976 in Jacksonville, North Carolina but grew up in Slidell, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. She discovered her love for art when she was about 3 years old. For her, it represents a mean of communication, in which she enjoys the most. She comes from the artistic family that includes the late painter Eleanor Norcross. Since 1988 she was a part of the Talent Art Program, until the end of her junior high and high school. In 1994 Guidry had the honor to be the recipient of the Loyola University New Orleans Visual Art Scholarship, which is given to only one student per year. Here she earned Bachelor’s degree in Visual Arts in 1998. The artist also took Psychology courses, as a part of her diverse art disciplines curriculum.

In 1994 Guidry had the honor to be the recipient of the Loyola University New Orleans Visual Art Scholarship

Influences and Style

Each surreal painting that begins with an idea or image is unique and original, and kinda represents Amy herself, but also marks a period of her artistic career. While doing a research about animal welfare at the age of 14, and while reading the philosopher Peter Singer’s book Animal Liberation, Guidry gradually became a vegan, which had the biggest influence on her, as she admits. She was also inspired by the Hieronymus Bosch, Salvador Dali, Kiki Smith, and Wangechi Mutu. Her fascination with the life circle has led her to the In Our Veins series. As each piece tells one story, the removal of one element or organism consequently has the domino effect on every other species. Author’s goal is to inspire, enlighten, amuse and bring positive emotions and reactions. The paintings themselves look as if they are trying to speak with the viewer, creating a dialogue and personal interconnection.

Author’s goal is to inspire, enlighten, amuse and bring positive emotions and reactions

Diverse Talents and Exhibitions

The surrealist’s acrylic depictions investigate and analyze people’s relationship with each other and to the natural world. Her work has been displayed in galleries and museums around the world in places like the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, Aljira a Center for Contemporary Art, Sara Nightingale Gallery in New York, Brandeis University, the PhilaMOCA, Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco, and the Paul & Lulu Hilliard Art Museum. Besides this, Amy’s work has been featured in publications such as American Artist, Adbusters, Newsday, and American Art Collector, as well as on MTV’s The Real World, Season 20: Hollywood.

Amy Guidry lives and works in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.

Featured image: Amy Guidry – Portrait
All images copyright of the artist; All images used for illustrative purposes only