Amy Hoedemakers

For the exhibition Signature Dish, I’ve painted a mixture of sizes and formats, all painted in oils. I started with walking down the riverbed,  I used sketches and words to begin with or as reference points. I wanted my work to have the feeling of looking into another world, of it stretching on, almost as though you could step into it but having an abstract quality at the same time.

Predominantly I’m inspired by the natural world. There are round works in this exhibition and this organic format works quite well with my approach and the thinking behind my work. Some of the smaller round works are painted on an old bamboo bread board, that I recycled. I wanted them to be like portholes into another world, or a glimpse of a sanctuary, a space in the natural world (something that some people are missing in their busy lives), however at the same time remaining quite abstract and it was poignant that some of the original marks of the wood showed through within the painting.

I’m also enjoying using silver leaf with the rich colours, like the deep purple and turquoise. These colours and the silver leaf resonate with me of other world, spirituality or another place/time, like in the painting Ethereal World. All of my paintings are something poetical, emotional and purely painterly they are atmospheric and generally a thing of beauty.

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in 2002, I’ve exhibited widely. Exhibiting in Solo and Group shows as well as painting commissions within New Zealand and Ireland. Recently I’ve made more of a commitment to my art practice and for me it’s so important to who I am, I have to and love to paint. I was working from my studio, Studio 8 in Oxford up until having my beautiful baby Flora (who surprised me and came 8 weeks early! She’s now 10 months old), so now I work from home, in-amongst being a full time mother and doing all the domesticated stuff that comes with life!

My painting time is whenever I can grab it and I’ve remained busy, it’s an exciting time and I feel incredibly grateful to be able to share my paintings with people and to exhibit in Little River Gallery, I hope you enjoy this exhibition.