Elevation (Peru and Chicago)
September 2010
18" x 24"
Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas
http://aimartistry.com/
Amy Shackleton, a 26-year old Canadian artist, is currently creating work utilizing her own interesting and unique style. As seen in a viral time-lapse video on Youtube, Shackleton applies paint from a squeeze bottle onto a canvas that she is able to rotate freely. She guides the drips by moving the canvas as they fall, allowing her to manipulate gravity to create precise linework and detailed imagery.
It feels as though she is really pushing herself, considering that she frequently portrays cityscapes with straight lines and structures employing a method that is used almost exclusively for abstraction. The fact that she has to overcome a huge force of nature gives an interesting depth to the work. While the pieces are aesthetically pleasing and certainly have a large amount of visual merit, I believe that the process that goes into them is what makes them so unique. The thought of breaking down traditional barriers with mediums is very appealing to me, probably because I really don’t know if I would ever have the courage to do it. The time that Shackleton takes to painstakingly drip paint is astounding, but every single painting clearly exemplifies the amount of time and effort she has put into them.
This courage to defy traditional mediums and ignore the typical way to create art is what I have taken from Shackleton, along with her intense dedication. While I don’t think I’m at a comfortable enough place in my own art to start taking extreme risks and abandoning my paintbrush, I do draw inspiration from how hard she manages to work day in and day out to create her work. I hope to be able to work half as hard as Shackleton does in my own life and in my own art. .
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