"I WANTED TO BUY FLOWERS BUT I PAINTED YOU THIS INSTEAD" Collage

Amy Smith is a self-taught contemporary artist born in New Jersey who moved to Los Angeles in 2005. Inspired by the Street Art movement surrounding Los Angeles, she found mentoring and support within the community. Activism is an important part of her life and influences her work. She incorporates empowering phrases and words in her collages with the intention of creating a conversation to encourage action in a powerful and fun way. In her mixed media portraits, Amy creates hand cut stencils and utilizes recycled fashion magazine pieces. These magazines represent her love of fashion but contempt for excessive consumerism. By ripping these pieces up and creating new powerful work, she aims to offer a decision on choosing your own path of empowerment and leaving what society demands aside. In addition to her canvas work she has been adding neon elements to some pieces on wood exploring a new series of contemporary art.