The Scribe - Page 15

Amy Draper’s Abstract Energy The Scribe - Page 15 Finding Freedom in Paint Amy Draper discovered her passion for art at six years old when she received her first easel and paint set for Christmas. Although she later spent many years drawing, a high school assignment to “paint something real” redirected her path. Unhappy with her first attempt, she carried the canvas home and used her stepfather’s brush to cover it in loose, energetic strokes. The finished piece looked like a tie-dyed shirt, and creating it left her exhilarated in a way she had never experienced with art before. Her classmates loved the work, and one even asked to buy it, but the teacher gave her a poor grade for not following instructions. That moment set her on the course of abstract painting, a style she has continued to pursue ever since. Color, Community, and New Directions Amy Draper paints with acrylics in bold, layered colors, drawing inspiration from Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo. She has exhibited locally at Georgette’s Coffee Shop and the Maumee Library Gallery under the name Amy Renee, and her work also appears in the Arts Commission’s Art in Public Places program on a signal box downtown. Now launching Soleil Lune Artworks, Draper is expanding her practice to include paintings, prints, and hemp jewelry, with a Facebook page and a booth planned at The Thrifty Hippie in Maumee.QUICK SCROLL A Toledo artist creating vibrant abstract paintings that blend bold color with energy and a strong sense of community. @aymee.renee the-scribe.org/soleillune