A Painting’s Evolution: Featuring My Commissioned Oysters

Being an artist is no easy feat- it takes talent, creativity, and passion to create a beautiful piece of art. It’s always easy to say, “I can do that.” The brutal truth is… you can’t because you don’t know what lies beneath the exterior surface and the process of how it got there. I love to see how different artists’ creativity comes to life in their art work. Earlier this year, I commissioned an oyster painting by Amy Fogg. Here’s a look back stage at her painting my piece.

As Amy talks about her process she says, “It’s multi-step and multi-media work, which means that I use a variety of art materials within each piece… Not just paint. Chalk, glue, tissue paper, molding paste, acrylic paint, water, and gloss, are all used to create the textures and depth of the oyster paintings.”

For many people, once they see the work that goes into any piece of art, they then gain a greater appreciation. I always wonder what the artist was thinking while creating their work. For Amy, she relies on her favorite scripture, ” ‘I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13). This quote has inspired so much of my art and reminds me daily of the gift of creating that God blesses me with. I feel that my art brings happiness, healing, and whimsy to buyers. It is only through the hands that God gave me that I am able to create.”

I can’t say that I would have ever guessed that tissue paper was a part of my painting! I have a passion for art and I will forever cherish this piece. Amy welcomes any commission piece you have brewing in your heart! She also posts new pieces each month to her Etsy store: www.amyfoggart.com. To see her work locally along 30A, stop in Clay 30-a or The Studio Gallery.

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The World is Your Oyster

I recently was told about a local artist, Amy Fogg, who paints the most gorgeous oyster shells. I have fallen in LOVE! Beautiful art with meaning and emotion, is the connection every artist strives to make with their work. Holding a BS in Art from University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Amy is very passionate about art and is an extraordinaire at combining art and emotion.

While experiencing a divorce, Amy began to heal through her art work. She states, “When I started painting oysters it was a form of healing from a hardship. I felt a connection to these things that live in a dark place deep in the sea, only to be taken out of the water, given new life and often creating pearls of beauty. They have a lot of biblical meaning and I non-intentionally began to find that the more I painted oysters, the more I rose out of the dark place. I soon began to heal and have become a stronger “pearl” because of it. For some, my oysters represent their favorite food, others see their families or kids in the oysters, some just like the textures and coastal colors. It’s wonderful how subjective art is and how people connect to them for various reasons.”

Amy collaborated with a Q Tile, to display her work among their unique tile selections.

The way you can see the work of the hand, the brush strokes, the paint drips- everything about them makes me happy! I also have a knack for liking things when they show “untrue” color. When we look at an elephant, we see gray. When an artist looks at an elephant, they may see purple or blue! And a purple or blue elephant is just so much cooler than a gray elephant. Am I wrong? Amy uses this same technique with her oyster shells.

 Amy has also recently been featured in the Home Tour of the blog Dixie Delights. Click here to see her blog feature in this precious home!

Amy has other art collections, such as beautiful crosses and bird nests. She would love to work with you to create your own custom piece. If you like two or three, don’t worry! She can combine what you like from each one. That’s when you know she’s good! To see more of Amy’s work, follow Amy on instagram @aafogg, or go to www.amyfoggart.com. You can tell her I sent you 🙂 Of course I will have one of my own one day, and hopefully that day will be soon! I can’t wait to feature my custom piece!