Congratulations to Amy Werntz for placing as a finalist in the 5th Edition!

Who are you?

I grew up in a very artistic family and was always encouraged to be creative. Although I was always doing art, when it came time to decide what I wanted to do, I chose to study Interior Design. I practised Interior Design full time for 10 years, painting on the side until I was offered the opportunity to put my work into a showroom. Up until that point I had never thought of painting as something I could make a living at. For the last 10 years, I have transitioned to painting nearly full time and doing contract design work on the side. I currently live and work in Dallas, TX.

What inspired you to begin utilizing oil as a medium?

Originally when I started painting I was using acrylics. An artist friend of mine kept telling me I needed to try oils. However, I worked very quickly and thought I would be frustrated with the slower dry time. At some point, I had picked up an inexpensive set of oils as well as having a few tubes that had belonged to my mom and grandpa. I finally decided to try them out and have been painting with oils ever since. I loved the consistency and colors and do not think I would be making the work I am currently if I hadn’t made that switch. The slower dry time ended up being a quality I really love.

What drew you to exploring portraiture as a subject matter?

I’ve always been a big people watcher. I love studying the features, gestures and mannerisms that make every person unique.

What do you hope to communicate with your portraits?

My goal is for the viewer to feel like they’ve interacted with the subject in the painting. When I am selecting what I am going to paint, I often look for an expression that does not clearly define a particular emotion. I want the viewer to bring their own experiences to that interpretation. Ageing is a very interesting subject and people respond to it in very different ways. I hope to create paintings that offer people an opportunity to reflect not only on the life of the person/people in the paintings but also their own life and the lives of the people around them.

Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind "Lunch"?

There were so many reasons I loved this image: the sunlight coming in from the window, the great colors of her clothing and the space, the color and pattern on her shirt, the reflected colors on the white pants and her wonderful posture and expression. As with just about all of my work, this was a candid moment. The moment I capture is the moment I try to represent.

Can you explain why you choose Painting as a medium for your work and voice as opposed to others?

I like the sense of longevity that I associate with paintings. I am representing ordinary people within their everyday lives, and I feel that recreating a single moment with paint elevates that moment.

Have you experimented with other mediums? If so, which ones and how?

I love learning about and experimenting with all different mediums: collage, watercolor/gouache, graphite, pastel, oil pastel. I have recently been taking a figure sculpture class which I have really been enjoying. I’ve also always loved making collages and have recently come up with an idea I’m really excited about to use the collage in the planning of the paintings.

Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of painting your portraits?

I think the most important thing I’ve learned is the importance of working from life regularly. A few years into my transition from Interior Design to Painting I began taking figure drawing classes, which I took for several years, and still draw from life several times a month. Working from life really helped train my eyes to more quickly and accurately see and represent form and color.

Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?

I don’t know if I can name one thing that has felt like more of a success than any other. Each success has just propelled me forward to work toward the next.

What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?

I’ve been working on a number of commissions lately, but the project I am excited to get back to is a composition with 5 figures in conversation. This is a little different from previous works because, even when I’ve had multiple figures in the past,  the figures are not interacting with one another. This one definitely has a little more narrative already built-in. 

Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists/photographers, what is your advice?

Never stop learning.

To view more of Amy Werntz’s work

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