Resilience Print

I am a multi-passionate artist. I was raised on a hobby farm in Minnesota and was an active member of the local 4-H club. Through 4-H there were so many possibilities of fun things to learn that is just not offered anywhere else. In addition to agriculture which 4-H is known for, she also learned things like archery, theatre, clothing design, as well as painting and sculpting. In my younger years I never considered visual art as something to pursue. I loved performing (still do) but was terribly shy and afraid of not only being seen but being heard on stage. There was nothing I wanted more than to be on stage, seen and heard. It was a conundrum. I thought that if I took dance lessons I could maybe be in the chorus one day. After years of dance lessons and competitions, the ballet master detained me after class one day and asked, "Amber, why are you here?" I replied as calmly as I could choking back tears, "to be a dancer." He responded, "you were meant to be on Broadway, not in the chorus. Don't waste your time in the back row. Give your bow to the balconies." All the thoughts and fears of being alone on stage, of being seen and heard battled with what my teacher had just said. Meanwhile, drawing, painting and sculpture was just something I could "do." In high school I had a history teacher I didn't like, and on the last day of class when I picked up from him the project I did on Michelangelo he said, "you know Amber, you should be an artist." I spat back at him, "don't tell me what to do" and left the room. What resulted is that I graduated from an acting conservatory and became a professional dancer in Greece, Mexico and the USA as well as a professional actress at various theatres in Europe and the USA. Going so far as starting my own theatre company. Painting and sculpture was mostly perfunctory, had a deadline and was to be used onstage or part of the scenery. At home were the pieces I worked on never to be seen. The pieces I became emotionally attached to, they contain my DNA, emotion and all the ingrained lack of self-worth, vulnerability, full of hope, afraid of rejection. Until one day someone asked me for a commission... Someone wanted my work in their home. I like beauty - subjects or ideas that I find beautiful. Although what I find beautiful is subjective and may not be in agreement with general accepted norms. In painting I am currently working on several pieces transitioning from acrylic to natural pigment oil.