"Sometimes I get frustrated because I have so many ideas fighting to come out. Every painting has so many possibilities."Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, she was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1972. Like most talented artists, she began drawing at a young age."I was never one of those children who daydreamed of growing up to become an artist. I just ASSUMED that was what I would be. It was never a question of ''do I want to be an artist?''. Often there are days when I really don't want to paint, I HAVE to paint. The urge to create is almost a wild, living entity trapped inside me, clawing to escape.My greatest influences have been Brian Froud and Michael Parkes, which is evident in my paintings. I have also been greatly inspired by the urban fantasy stories of Charles deLint and the lovely, haunting music of Loreena McKennitt.When I begin a piece, I usually have a good idea as to what I want the finished image to look like. However, by the time I actually complete the painting it has often evolved into something completely different. I start with a blank piece of paper and begin drawing. I rarely do preliminary sketches unless there is a troublesome area that needs special attention or I can't decide on the layout of the overall piece. The initial drawing can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to hours, days, months, and sometimes years.After the pencil drawing is completed, I break out my Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors and Windsor and Newton brushes and begin laying down the background colors. I prefer to work with 140lb or 300lb Arches cold press watercolor paper. The texture of Arches seems the most conducive to the mix of textures I like to use when painting. Normally I complete the background first and then concentrate on the characters. Having never received any formal art training, I begin each painting with a bit of trepidation….praying it turns out well. Over the years I have developed my own techniques by trial and error as well as studying the work of other artists.When I paint, I paint for myself. I find it hard to be passionate about another person's ideas. For this reason I don't take on commissions, as they tend to put me in a disagreeable mood and take away my creative license. After completing more than 800 paintings, I have found that the images which were painted for my own delight are often the images most well received by the public. Ultimately, I wish for each painting to evoke a deep emotion in the viewer….hopefully a longing to become a part of the painting itself. I spent much of my childhood and teen years doodling, but was never very serious about my art. In 1992, at the age of 20, I got a job working as a custom picture framer at a local gallery, which I continued to do for more than 7 years. This was the best step I could have taken towards my eventual career. I was exposed to a wide range of art in all mediums. Working with mat boards and frames gave me a good background for color, texture, and design. About four months after I started at the gallery, my boss and now good friend Shawn, handed me an empty frame that had been lying around the shop for months and said ''Here, paint something to fit in this frame….maybe a little fairy or something.'' I had always had an interest in fairies, ever since my aunt gave me the book FAERIES by Brian Froud and Alan Lee. However, I never attempted to draw any. So, I went home that night and painted a faery hovering next to a clump of pink foxgloves. We put the finished piece out in the gallery and it sold a few days later…..that was how it all started.In 1993 I started testing the market for my work by having laser prints made. It enabled me to print my images in small, affordable batches with out going broke from large printing fees. I sold my prints at a few street fairs and was fortunate enough to have a couple of friends with shops who were willing to carry my work. A year or two later my boyfriend, now husband, decided I should have a website. To my surprise and delight he had a previously untapped flair for designing websites. My first site had one gallery with around ten images. Now, in 2003 it has grown to multiple galleries and over 140 images. To date, my favorite painting is "Mystique". My favorite images are always the ones that I can look back on and say "I wouldn't change a thing". Ironically, these are rarely the images best received by the public. Quite the reverse…..if I hate it, everyone else thinks it's great."What does Amy foresee in her artistic future and does she see change? She replies, "I just hope I'll keep getting better. I don't see myself branching off to paint some other subject. I will always paint winged critters."Amy's images are sold as cards, prints, and calendars world wide. There is also a wide range of licensed items including figurines, journals, stickers, jewelry and even lunch boxes!