Rain Garden: a single painting inspiring a new collection

“Rain Garden” by artist Amy Early

As an artist you go through times where you cannot create, and even though you wouldn’t typically choose it, sometimes it happens. I have been through a bit of a painting dry-spell, although this time it was self-imposed. I prefer to be the type of artist that just creates all the time, yet there are times in life where the demands require you to take a step back from the work.

This painting was created at the tail end of my busy and ever-evolving work of helping to manage our home recording studio, and after a much-needed garage re-do. I was technically studio homeless for several months, as my last studio room became our guest room. Garage clean-up is real guys. It’s the kind of space in our house that ever-so-quickly becomes a dump zone.

During my off time, I have been putting a good deal of thought into the type of work that I want to create when I come back from my little hiatus. “Rain Garden” is the first fruit of that. I am jumping into a new style of meditative work. Not just “place” driven, but atmospheric. I am searching for the feeling behind the place.

I had some experience with this when I painted my last mural in December. I was inspired by the coast, but as I was painting, the lines were blurring on any sort of coastline, grasslands, water or sky. I was in love with the way the atmosphere could change. I am now chasing this feeling.

You could say “Rain Garden” was born from my mural experience, and also my period of reflection. I feel ready to start a new collection with this same theme, and I am thankful I have had the experience of this work being birthed.

“Rain Garden”, original painting by artist Amy Early