Amy Sol
| Amy Sol | |
|---|---|
| Born | Korea[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Self Trained "Bio" |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Pop Surreal, Cartoon-Tainted Abstract Surrealism |
Amy Sol is an American artist of Korean ancestry, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a member in good standing of a loose knit community of artists practicing Pop Surreal, Lowbrow, or, as Robert Williams defines it, "cartoon-tainted abstract surrealism."[2] She typically paints upon treated wooden panel, incorporating the grain of the wood into the painting. Her style integrates both narrative and figurative styles with the mystic.
| “ | The reason (is) the wood really helps me a lot, and I've sort of become addicted to using wood panel. It's become a really important part of the whole piece -- all together -- it holds the whole piece together. The grain of the wood usually is the start of the motion; the flow. The wood always reminds me to keep things moving. When you look at wood grain, sometimes -- and you can almost feel the sense of something alive, of course it was once alive, but that imprint; the foot-print of it is still there. When I paint right on the wood it influences the colors I use. It reminds me to keep things really natural. | ” |
| — Amy Sol, Semi-Permanent Lecture, 2008 Sydney, Australia[3] | ||
Sol's works are characterized by young maidens in dream-like nature settings with oversized or sometimes fanciful creatures. One gets a sense that the girls are interacting with the animals as mythic partners or perhaps "familiars." There is no indication that these animals are pets; rather friends or perhaps partners. The exotic landscapes include plants, impossible trees, mist & fog, clouds, flowers, and rolling hills. With a muted pallet of pastels and washed out grays; her style is influenced by folk-art, contemporary illustration, manga, and modern design.[4]
Sol has named Range Murata and Kay Nielsen among others as inspirations for her work.[5]