amy koenig

dark dreams: surrealist painter, amy koenig

BY RON EVANS

Amy Koenig first came into my star field when she submitted her work to a themed group art show at RadarStation.

Her surrealistically vibrant yet dark paintings immediately fit in at Radar while also standing out as something new and special. Her sense of color, contrast and characters read like a still frame from a fantasy film. A snapshot of another realm with a perfect balance of whimsy, sorrow and at times...anxiety. I wanted to see what gets this painter going, and how she developed her distinct style.

I get a sense of dark dreamlike quality from your work, like Tim Burton meets Margaret Keane. Where do most of your artistic inspirations come from?

There is absolutely Burton inspiration in there, I studied his stuff pretty intensely so I think it’s made a mark on my style. It’s also mixed with a bit of the early Disney animators like Eric Larson with a touch of Luis Royo thrown in for good measure. I’ve always been fascinated by things that don’t seem like they should fit together but create something unique and beautiful.

Take us through your creative process.

I pretty much sketch everything in one way or another first. Sometimes it’s just a quick thumbnail if the idea is really clear, otherwise it can be days of sketching to get the concept down before committing to paint. Then from there I do a full under-painting, which isn’t standard for most acrylic artists, but I’ve found it really works well for me and helps me get some of the more vivid colors. I try to paint as often as I can, I generally at least sketch every day. Some days I do a whole painting start to finish, other days I manage to get a couple things in a sketchbook.

Are you mostly an in- studio painter?

I paint in chaos, in the middle of my living room, on a rolling tilt cart most of the time, feeling lucky if there aren’t cat tracks through my pallet or a parrot doesn’t land in it. I’ve accomplished getting paint on the ceiling at this point so I just go with it.

Do you have prints and originals available online anywhere?

things on demand if people are interested. I haven’t done any conventions or festivals just yet but I’m hoping in the future.

Where can people find your art around town?

Now, just at Pan’s Grotto, a good portion of my originals are there as well as prints and some sculptures. I’ll have pieces in the December art walk at Pan’s Grotto, two owl pieces and possibly a slightly disturbing version of Elf on the Shelf.

I do have a website: amykoenigartist.com/ and most of my art gets posted on my Instagram including lots of work in progress shots @amykoenigartist. C