She was raised in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, attended Miami University of Ohio (B.S. Business) and Cornell University (MBA). At Miami she was Photography Editor of the oldest American college newspaper and remembers with a smile the time she called home in tears about her finance major saying, “but I just want to do something creative!” The need to do something "practical" prevailed and marketing, with its combination of analytical and creative endeavors, was a good fit. During the years of marketing positions that followed Miami and later Cornell she relished the opportunities to do art direction, advertising coordination, brochure design, product management, public relations and entrepreneurial endeavors...creative encounters that made her feel whole.
So at what point did this business gal begin transforming to artist-business gal? It was a Matisse exhibit in 1992 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. that opened up a whole new world. Seeing Matisse's works in person - larger than life and so overwhelmingly beautiful ignited a love of abstract/contemporary art. This love grew with business trips around the United States and overseas. Gallery visits were a must on these trips. Always it was the abstract painters and sculptors that got her heart beating - Rothko, Diebenkorn, Pollok, De Kooning, Picasso, Matisse, Calder and Moore. Perhaps it was exposure since infancy to the amazing modern art collection at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo that sowed the seeds of this love.
After seeing so much wonderful art, Amy got her first acrylics and began teaching herself to paint; imitating the abstract and contemporary paintings she fell in love with during her travels to learn about brushwork and color mixing. After a year of intense self-teaching and exploration it was time to learn more and explore her own style. Fate had it that Amy’s first teacher at The Art League outside D.C. was the wonderfully talented abstract artist and teacher Joyce McCarten. Joyce, with her bundle of energy approach to painting and teaching was supportive and inspiring. She taught Amy to follow her dreams, her own ideas, and to experiment. Even today Joyce remains a strong influence, encouraging her to move beyond the “easy” and to take risks.
