Amélie Peace: @AMELIE__PEACE

Amélie  What are your artist essentials, and where do you like to create the best? What is your studio like?

I have a calligraphy brush and a hake brush which I have had for years, which are pretty much the only ones I use when making a painting. I also always need to have music whilst I’m working.

As long as there is a lot of light and high ceilings, I am happy where ever.

My studio has changed location a bit during covid19, so pretty nomadic I would say at the moment.

How do you believe has your practice change over time? Has it evolved?

It is always interesting to look back at your work, to see how things have changed. I am constantly trying to push myself in rethinking my work, as I believe it is important for creative growth to not get too comfortable.

Looking ahead, what do you think could be your biggest challenge?

In this current time, I think it would be finding a more permanent studio.

What do you for fun?

Dancing, dancing is one of my favorite things, it always makes me happy when I’m down.

What is next for you as an artist?

Continue to paint and work and organising shows.

What would be your dream project? What has been the most rewarding project you’ve done?

I have got this project in mind to find a group of creatives and create a collective, and try and spread creatives out of the London elite.

Favourite historical female artist?

Kathe Kollowitz

Favourite current practicing female artist?

Joanna Piotrowska

Who should She Curates interview next?

Kinga Bartis

Tell us about your journey to become the artist you are now? Was it a decision, or an inevitability?

I think for me, as well as many other creatives I know, it was something I was decided on at a very young age, as well as having a teacher that really supported me a lot when I was at school. But there was never really anything else I even considered.

What was the first work you ever produced?

You’ll have to ask my mum, shes got a private collection.

What 3 words would you use to describe your artwork?

Theatrical, intimate, distorted

What do you believe is integral to the work of an artist?

Staying true to your own vision and integrity, making work for yourself and not for others. I think it is hard for creatives nowadays, especially in the Instagram era, to not try and mould themselves into something they’re not, because of current fashions. It takes a long time to truly realise who you are as a creative and finding your personal voice, keeping it real is the only way to do so.

Can you tell us a bit about your process, and how each of your artwork comes to be?

This has altered in subtle ways around the years, but at the moment it has quite a few stepping stones. Usually, I ask people to move and sit for me in tangled compositions and then I photograph them. But during the pandemic, I have not been ankle to do this, so I have been sourcing different imagery online, manipulating the search engine to give me what I want. After this, I usually sketch quite a bit, until I find a composition I am happy with which I then translate onto a canvas on a zinc plate, if I am making an etching.

What do you want your work to say? What memorable responses have you had to your work? And which artwork would you like people to remember you for?

My practice encompasses a number of themes surrounding the human experience and perception of touch. It is an exploration of psychophysical connections and power dynamics. There is always a type of cyclical dance within the canvas frame between my figures. The work speaks about the kinetic connections we have with one another, and how our body language influences our experiences with one another. Something that is also repeated in my work is the fascination I have with hands. They are forms that touch and feel, they are creators, as well as the important role they play in this digital age.

Who or what are your biggest influences, and how do you find them? How do you believe these come out in your work?

I think the biggest one is people, watching how we use our bodies to speak with eachother. How we touch one another, depending on your sexuality, gender, race, age. I have many artist that inspire, as well as films and poets, the list is endless, to be honest. Some have been with me since childhood, some through social media.