Amy Dury

Amy Dury (b. 1971 London, UK) studied BA Printmaking at Glasgow School of Art (1993–97) and an MA Fine Art at University of Brighton(2000–02). She works in oil and acrylic paint, alongside drawing and mixed media. 

“My subject matter is mostly figurative, I am naturally drawn to imagery from the past, especially the 70’s and 80’s, and the work of British social documentary photographers. The activity of choosing imagery and selecting composition is key to the final outcome. Looking back into our recent past is an act of remembering and nostalgic mis-remembering, with  photographs becoming the memory which constructs stories about ourselves. I am also drawn to the times gone past which seem less self conscious, more free and full of what we were becoming.”

As a painter I extract figures from photographs from the pre-digital age as a starting point. These can be found family photographs or home movies. Watching these personal films I instinctively stop them on frames that resonate. The images I am most often drawn to related to peoples roles in society, the hierarchies and dynamics of power. I paint with a strong idea of colour to begin. I use both oil and acrylic paint, alongside charcoal and pencil drawings. My background as a printmaker informs my use of layers and structure, yet I allow the process to move and evolve the work as it is constructed. Loose and textured painterly marks exist alongside more precise detail. A strong grounding in portrait and figure drawing gives freedom to describe or suggest. Looking back into our recent past is an act of remembering and nostalgic mis-remembering, with photographs and film becoming the vehicle which constructs stories about ourselves. Figures are often rewritten or falling from clear view, and I use digital processes to reconstruct the scenes and suggest colour themes. Our history instructs, seduces and tethers us, and I look to use paint to examine these emotive memories which reflect current themes and tensions in contemporary life.