Banner image: TAP Artist-in-Residence Amy Wynne working plein air
“The reality that we all suffer in our own way is a great compassionate connector. Working with others, I forget my troubles and the energy seems to flow in a positive direction again. Generosity fosters hope.”
~ Amy Wynne, TAP Artist-in-Residence
The Transformative Action Project (TAP) Artist-in-Residence Program offers a social engagement platform for renowned Boston-based artists whose works and practices reflect the resilience of the human spirit in the wake of trauma. In conjunction with mindfulness activities facilitated by Barbara Hamm, Co-Director of TAP, three Artists-in-Residence are currently engaging with audiences as part of its Spring 2022 “Let Us” workshop series. Here, members of small groups are able to experience the benefits of their own creativity while also bearing witness to the artistic, mindful process of others - sparking new ideas, relieving feelings of isolation, and offering new perspectives.
TAP Artist-in-Residence Amy Wynne is a long-time yoga practitioner, student of Tibetan Buddhism and certified meditation instructor. For the past twenty-five years, she has been integrating mindfulness and creative practice in her teaching of painting and drawing. In this Artist-in-Residence Spotlight, we interviewed Amy Wynne about her art, her practice, and her philosophy.
TAP: Tell us about your creative practice. What inspires you to create?
AW: My creative practice has evolved from the classical figurative work I made in the 1990s in NYC to a passion for landscape born in Italy. Most recently, my work explores more internal landscapes working with memory and perception. My creative process is an attempt to generate the bravery and momentum to communicate what it means to be human in relationship to impermanence. Making things is my vehicle for expressing and understanding that intimate relationship authentically.
My ritual of making is a devotional practice and deeply connected to dwelling in the temple of nature, the act of walking, being witness to temporality and my spiritual practice. The tactile act of working with my hands grounds me in the present moment, deepening connection with sensory perception and memory, distilling my human experience. My creative rituals open the portal to liminal spaces revealing some sort of truth and clarity though attention and surrender.
The last two years have been an invitation to place my attention increasingly on my internal landscape. This bedrock shift in approach, has activated momentum and flow through sometimes obsessive sequences. Repetitive image making over a determined period of time with creative constraints reveals how generative image making in a series is an exciting dialogue. The act of daily making provides clues and sparks for what comes next as well as fostering hope and resilience for my practice. Layered variations and silhouettes evoke absence & presence…being and nothingness. Each is a visual prayer, relaying the interconnection and interdependence of all things.
"My ritual of making is a devotional practice and deeply connected to dwelling in the temple of nature, the act of walking, being witness to temporality and my spiritual practice."
~ Amy Wynne
TAP: Transformative Action Project's (TAP) Artist-In-Residence program asserts the creative process and mindful practice as complementary modalities to promote healing from trauma - which in turn opens pathways towards hope. How do you see your personal artistic practice in dialogue with transformative change?
AW: Slowing down and creating a daily ritual of making has helped me stay resilient in challenging times. This has made me more hopeful and able to maintain my creative flow over the years. It has strengthened my ability to pay attention. As the poet Mary Oliver wrote…”Attention is the beginning of devotion.” Something about devotion gives my life and creative practice new meaning and purpose beyond ambition and preconceived agenda. It has allowed me to appreciate everyday life as powerful inspiration and has fostered a sort of generosity to hold the space for others to find resilience though a daily practice. There is incredible transformative potential in just showing up. Chop wood. Carry water. Don’t make a big deal out of it all. Just trust that if you “Start where you are. The work you’re doing becomes your path” - Ram Dass
TAP: What advice would you offer to those who seek alternative strategies of confronting and overcoming personal challenges of living with anxiety, depression, and other manifestations of trauma?
AW: For me, getting my body up and outside in any sort of weather is crucial. Just a walk around the block can be a great healer. Create momentum rather than stagnation. Sunshine…forest bathing. The other life saver for me has been finding ways to give to others. As soon as I feel anxious or overcome by grief, I find ways to reach out to others. The reality that we all suffer in our own way is a great compassionate connector. Working with others, I forget my troubles and the energy seems to flow in a positive direction again. Generosity fosters hope.
Installation view of "Tethered," a multi-media installation currently at The Taft School in Connecticut.
"These works have to do with play, loss, longing and ultimately a celebration of how love "tethers us" to beings even after they are gone. When our sweet pup, Captain, died suddenly during the pandemic, I found myself starting to sew together her toys. There was something about the act of sewing and creating new creatures from old that felt connective to me...like she and I were still playing. I began to draw from multiple views of these sewn sculptures, honoring the loss of her by working with the beautiful remnants of what she left behind. Working on layers of translucent vellum they started to evoke a sense of time and memory. What fades from view in the layering process is a metaphor for letting go....On display are selections from a series of dozens of vellum pieces inspired by Captain's toys. These were part of a month-long daily creative practice which kept me "tethered" to some sort of hope in the face of loss."
~ Amy Wynne
TAP: As an artist, how do you sustain your creative practice during troubling times?
AW: During challenging times, I have three key avenues to keep myself buoyant so I can, in turn, be resilient enough to be of service to others.
Coming to My Senses.
Find ways to slow down and connect with the natural world. Stay amazed.
Committing to Ritual.
Have a grounding action every day which fosters a healthy perspective. A daily practice builds hope and belief in one’s own potential.
Building Community.
Find others who can support you in your journey. There is great power in healthy accountability for self-care in any form.
Amy Wynne is an artist currently living and working in an historic mill studio Pawtucket, RI. She holds an MFA in Classical Painting from The New York Academy of Art in New York City and a dual BA in Art History & Cultural Anthropology from Smith College. She received the 2015 CE Teacher of Excellence Award from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is a long-time yoga practitioner, student of Tibetan Buddhism and certified meditation instructor. She has been teaching painting and drawing for twenty-five years integrating mindfulness and creative practice. Formerly full time at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, she currently teaches workshops on-line, across New England and Tuscany. Amy exhibits in galleries nationally and has work in private and corporate collections including Brown University, Fidelity Investments and Meditech Corporation. She has been awarded grants from The Rhode Island Cultural Council and a fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center. She is also an author of many on-line classes with LinkedInLearning.com and CreativeLive.com.
For more information about Amy Wynne, visit:
www.amywynne.com
Click here for a schedule of 2022 Creative Workshops led by Amy Wynne
The Transformative Action Project (TAP) is funded by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) and is dedicated to serving individuals, groups and communities impacted by crime and violence.