Meet Amy Friend

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Friend. 

Hi Amy, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My current body of work evolved during my move to Raleigh. At the time, I was balancing commitments; I was still working for my family business and in school for a degree in graphic design. This resulted in a lot of internal reflections while driving between Raleigh and Eastern NC. I was building toward a new future but was struggling with how to connect my present and past. ‘Rock in my Soul’ was the first drawing in the series and symbolized my movement forward and my desire to bring along my past. Finding balance between the two was a struggle, but the necessary path. As the series progressed, balance remained the common thread. Illustrated with birds caught in precarious situations, wound in thread, and tied to different people, places, and ideas through time.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No… change never is. I’ve struggled in a lot of ways. Sometimes with confidence, often finding time to spend in my studio, and mostly with balancing competing priorities. The one thing that has been easy, and maybe easy isn’t the right word, but this series has spilled out of me. It’s a cathartic and self-reflective process. It helps me process how and what I am feeling at different stages in my life; whether that is joy, sadness, love or grief. The vulnerability I put in can make my work hard to share at times. However, when people look at my work and have an emotional connection to it is the greatest reward. I’ve shared hugs, tears, and wonderful stories with strangers of all ages… sometimes years after they have seen or purchased a piece. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While no path I’ve travel in life has been direct, I’ve always considered myself a draftsman. After graduating from the Art Academy of Cincinnati, with a concentration in drawing, I moved to NC to work with my family’s business and in a roundabout way settled in Raleigh. I think what I’m most proud of is never giving up my art practice, I had to continue to make the decision to create regularly. I’m best known for my mixed media drawings on wood, my red thread, and realistic depictions of birds in precarious situations. Using graphite and acrylic, my drawings delve into the complexities of life, the world around us, and the way the two fit together. Most importantly, a search for balance. The compositions of in my work combined with the vivid red thread create a graceful struggle and an uncertain balance. Evoking a pleasure in the discomfort and a need for the tension. 

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I always found Raleigh to have an approachable arts scene. Since I moved here, I found a great system of galleries, collectives, and programs that helped get my career established locally. Especially the VAE, where I signed up for just about every workshop and critique they offered. Through these programs and places, I’ve meet so many great artists and friends over the years. Pre-covid, I participated in a lot of Art festivals and Markets, and I’m just starting to re-enter that world. It’s a bit overwhelming, but it’s so good to interact with people again. I also sell my work at Bayleaf Market in North Raleigh. That has been such a wonderful space to emerge during the pandemic. 

Contact Info:

• Website: amydraws.com
• Instagram: @AmyDraws_art
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyDrawsArt
• Other: Etsy.com/shop/amydraws

Image Credits
Libby McGowan Photography