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Here is my Artist Statement from 2001:

The focus of my work is to celebrate, inspire and empower women. Through my works, I attempt to redefine Western femininity by reinterpreting and revitalizing aspects of female embodiment to give them new positive meaning. My philosophical outlook is Feminist/Humanist/Womanist. I emphasize the personal worth of the individual through her beauty, intellect, strength, emotional, instinctual and intuitive qualities, as the central importance of human values, as opposed to specific religious or cultural beliefs. Through my images I create a new dialogue about female sexuality, reproduction and self worth. The figures are iconographic, representing an all inclusive, universal woman. My work contains a wealth of information about feminism, women's issues, health, psychology, history, legend, myth and spiritual beliefs, all of which have been interpreted by and created from the perspective of a female artist in the 21st century. However, this said, I feel the impact and intention of my art is reduced by being spoken -- what my art expresses cannot be translated into mere words.

Here is a description of my Materials and Methods from 2004:
The paintings shown on AEFraser.com are accomplished with Acrylic Paint on Masonite. I use a unique, time-consuming paint process to create my signature painting style. On average, I put 100 or more hours into each image from the time of conception to completion, regardless of the final painting size.
I begin with a sketch that I often rework with use of a computer. Once the drawing process is complete, the image is transferred to a comparably shaped Masonite board. Each Masonite board is prepared with three or more coats of gesso, protecting the final image from chemicals used in the board's production. The under painting begins with solid areas of color and line work in opaque acrylic paint. At this point, I begin to form an idea of where I am going to go with color. Paper and pour polyurethane are sometimes included in the under painting process. The luminous effect seen in my paintings is created by applying dozens of individual layers of acrylic glaze over solid layers of base color. Each layer of glaze must dry before the next can be applied to assure the color's purity. Our eyes mix the colors to create hues, with an added benefit of the color changing in various types of light. Because of this layering process, the image surface has both physical and visual depth. I premix all of the glaze colors before I start a painting and store them in separate containers. I do not use a traditional artists palette or butcher pan for my paints. I use a wide range of brush shapes and brush sizes in addition to various sponges and rollers. The brilliant, luminescent colors are created by layering individual transparent colors one at a time on top of one other. The more layers, the deeper, darker or more intense the shade becomes. Each painting is completed with a layer of matte finish to reduce the glare of the glazes, making the image easier to see from any angle as well as easier to photograph.
Why have I shared the secrets of my "Materials and Methods"? I want people who purchase a painting to be assured of the high quality of work, time and material that goes into each unique piece. Secondly, the question of how my works are created is frequently asked and I see no real reason not to answer it. Many artists fear that revealing their 'secret' painting techniques will inspire copy artists to recreate their work. I am not concerned with that particular issue, as I tend to believe that most people would not be willing to devote the time and effort that my technique requires.

Here is the Amy E. Fraser Artist Biography from 2010:


AMY E. FRASER
FINE ARTIST: Acrylic Painter and Polymer Jewelry Sculptor

Born in Lebanon, NH, 1973, Amy E. Fraser came into this world knowing that she was an Artist. Before she could talk or walk she was creating art. Her entire childhood is chronicled by which drawing, painting, sculpture, sewing or photography project she was working on at the time. While she briefly entertained fantasies about becoming a ballerina, a veterinarian and a super model, there was never any real question about her true identity and destiny as an Artist.

At age 14, Amy enrolled in her first college level art course at Vermont Community College. In high school, she consumed every available art class, from drafting to photography and everything in-between, including turning all of her *serious* classes into opportunities for more art. Also, enrolling in various summer art courses through out the Upper Valley, with a temporary focus on interior design, she expanded upon her high school art education. However, she soon discovered the amount of math involved in interior design and quickly changed her career focus. After graduating from Lebanon High School in 1991, she spent a summer in New York City attending Parsons School of Design, then took the following year off to work and continued on to Parsons where she obtained her Batchelor Degree in Fine Arts in 1997. After which, Amy returned home to NH to obtain her Masters Degree in Liberal Studies from Dartmouth College in 2000.

Since graduating from Dartmouth, Amy E. Fraser has had a number of solo exhibitions, including: “CONFRONTING FEMININITY” at Gallery Alexie, in NYC in 2001, “CELEBRATING WOMANHOOD,” at Dartmouth Hitchcock’s Women’s Health Resource Center in Lebanon, NH, in 2003 and “WILDFLOWER MEADOW” at AVA Gallery, in Lebanon, NH in 2009. She has had additional solo exhibitions in alternative art spaces including “THE FLORAL COLLECTION” at The Ranch in Lebanon, NH, 2006-8, and “THE WILDFLOWER COLLECTION” at The Razzberry Kiss in Hanover, NH, 2006-7. Amy has also participated in a wide variety of group exhibitions in galleries across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire since 2002, as an individual artist and as an active member of The National Association of Women Artists.

Amy E. Fraser’s work is currently represented by NURTUREart Gallery (NYC), Artists Space Gallery (NYC), the N.A.W.A. Fifth Avenue Gallery (NYC), AVA Gallery and Art Center (Lebanon, NH) and was previously represented by Gallery Alexie, Stephen Gang Galleries, Inc (NYC). She is an elected artist member of The National Association Of Women Artists, Inc. (NYC) as well as an artist member of The National Museum of Women in the Arts (Washington, D.C.). Amy received the Beatrice Jackson Memorial Award in 2004 (N.A.W.A.) and was awarded the Alumni Council of the Master of Arts and Liberal Studies Program Grant by Dartmouth College in 2000. Amy’s award winning painting “Expectations” was archived at the Smithsonian, Archives of American Art (Washington, D.C.) in 2005. Portfolios of her work have been preserved in The National Museum Of Women In The Arts (Washington, D.C.) and MAKE, The Organization For Women In The Arts (London, England), available for public viewing since 2002.

Amy’s paintings and writing have been published in “Spiral Dance News, Unfolding The Femi9 Woman” in 2004, “Her Living Mosaic” in 2003, The MALS Quarterly (Dartmouth College) in 2001, and in her Dartmouth College Thesis entitled “Dissecting The Western Woman Artist: An Artist’s Dialogue” in 2000. Since 2006 Amy’s line of one of a kind hand sculpted polymer jewelry, The Exalted Beauty Medallions have been published in “Jewelry Crafts Magazine”, “Bead Arts”, “Jewelryzine”, “Daily Art Muse”, “Polymer Clay Notes” and “Bell Armoire” Magazine. Amy has participated in a number of collaborative jewelry efforts, including designs with Miachelle DePiano from Cosmopolitan Accessories and Cyndi Lavin from Mazel Tov! Jewelry Treasures. Over 2,000 of Amy’s Exalted Beauty Medallions have been sold on-line, at private parties, at upscale jewelry retailers and art galleries such as Fine Facets (San Francisco, CA), AVA Gallery and Art Center (Lebanon NH), Wolfeboro Casuals (Wolfeboro, NH) and The Razzberry Kiss (Hanover, NH).

Amy E. Fraser is blissfully married to Jody Perkins, and the proud mother of a very wild (but extremely charming) 6 year-old son, Caden. She and her husband recently built their home on a beautiful mountainside in Meriden, NH, where, before even unpacking, her first act of nesting was to plant an enormous wildflower meadow which she continues to expand upon each spring. Moving back to the country has ignited Amy’s interest in floral/botanical painting. Especially now that the view from her light filled studio is of the long meandering stone path she built in the meadow, with a stunning backdrop of Mount Ascutney. Amy’s artwork expresses her passion for flowers, nature and life through color, line and texture.

Anguish is an expressive painting by Amy E. Fraser depicting a young woman who is symbolically caged in her bed due to the severe pain of Endometriosis...

Visit the official Amy E. Fraser Art Blog to read more, see images and click on active links.

Examples of Expressive Female Portraits by Amy E. Fraser. These paintings (some displayed previously in the post "Self Portrait Paintings") are completed in an emotive painterly Expressionistic style in order to evoke the mood described in each title...

Visit the official Amy E. Fraser Art Blog to read more, see images and click on active links.

The ancients believed the world was composed of four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The four elements were the critical energy forces that sustained life as integral parts of matter and the physical universe. The four Elementals were considered to be the primary spirits responsible for tending to all of the forces of nature. The ancients believed the Elementals were the physical explanation of the universe. Here is my vision of the Elementals Earth, Air, Fire and Water...

Visit the official Amy E. Fraser Art Blog to read more, see images and click on active links.

Thank you invisible Pinterest audience for enjoying my Floral Icons! Sometimes I wonder if maybe people might be getting sick of my beloved therapeutic Flower Doodles. But today, I wonder not. You fabulous pen and ink flora fans encourage me to keep on drawing! Floral Icon 87 was posted on Monday, so far this botanical beauty has made 4,500 impressions.

Floral Icons are bold, imaginative, one of a kind flower drawings inspired by flora from around the world, influenced by numerous cultures, infused with the traditional, resulting in motifs uniquely modern.

Floral Icons are ideal for those breath taking black and white spaces! Both Classic and Modern, the Floral Icons create elegant wall art groupings, striking throw pillows and sophisticated shower curtains!

Hand drawn in pen and ink by Amy E. Fraser. All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

Want to see the rest of the Floral Icons? Go HERE
For more Amy E. Fraser art and information go to Aefraser.com

Beltane is a positive concept piece created near the end of the Van Psycho Period. It depicts a celebratory moment, still using the linear expressive brush strokes in high key colors, but now in a slightly more mellow fashion indicating warm and cool, light and shadow. In this scenario the color is not intended to disturb the eye but to call attention to the varying story aspects of the composition.
Beltane by Amy E. Fraser is part of a series of Pagan celebration paintings created for a Thesis project at Parsons.
This Beltane painting was inspired by Vivianne Crowley’s description “At Beltane or Bright Fire on May Eve, fires were lit on hills all over the land to symbolize the waxing power of the Sun. Cattle were blessed and driven through the fire to clean their hides of ticks and the people would dance deosil round the fire.” ---Wicca: The Old Religion in the New Millennium
Wiki Defines Beltane as “one of four Gaelic seasonal festivals: Samhain (~1 November), Imbolc (~1 February), Beltane (~1 May), and Lughnasadh (~1 August). Beltane marked the beginning of the pastoral summer season, when livestock were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were held at that time to protect them from harm, both natural and supernatural, and this mainly involved the "symbolic use of fire". There were also rituals to protect crops, dairy products and people, and to encourage growth. The aos sí (often referred to as spirits or fairies) were thought to be especially active at Beltane (as at Samhain) and the goal of many Beltane rituals was to appease them. Most scholars see the aos sí as remnants of the pagan gods and nature spirits. Beltane was a "spring time festival of optimism" during which "fertility ritual again was important, perhaps connecting with the waxing power of the sun".
Acrylic on Canvas by Amy E. Fraser (1992-97). All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved. For more Amy E. Fraser art and information go to Aefraser.com

The Gynecologist is another jarring example from the Van Psycho Period. In this piece we find ourselves viewing the doctor from between the legs of the subject, in an attempt to place the viewer in the same jeopardy. The colors are loud, harsh and grating, working the subconscious of the viewer, creating discomfort and distaste. An image intended to shock and disturb, to make the viewer think.
The Gynecologist by Amy E. Fraser
The Gynecologist was the last thing she saw before it all went dark.
This is a painting illustrating a young woman's fear during a laparoscopic surgery. A laparoscopy is a conservative, same day surgery. The surgeon uses a knife, heat, or a laser to remove as much of the endometrial tissue as possible from the organs (such as the ovaries, bladder, fallopian tubes, and rectum) but preserves the reproductive organs.
At the time of this painting's creation little was known about Endometriosis. It was an extremely frightening concept for a young woman in her twenties to deal with.
Much has changed since then thanks to amazing organizations like the Endometriosis Research Center. In addition to providing support and awareness, the ERC also honors "young people with Endometriosis ages 25 and under through our "Girl Talk" Program, a specific support and education program tailored to meet the needs of young women and adolescents who have, or think they may have, the disease. In addition to providing patient advocacy and education, Girl Talk raises awareness about endometriosis in adolescents and strives to improve patient care among practitioners offering healthcare services to young women." To learn more about Endometriosis and how you can help, please go to: www.endocenter.org
Acrylic on Canvas by Amy E. Fraser (1992-97). All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

For more Amy E. Fraser art and information go to Aefraser.com

Baby Remembers is a classic example from the Van Psycho Period. It is a heart wrenching moment of child abuse, fear and memory.

Bad Mama is getting angry again. Her day must not have gone well, the modeling jobs have stopped since Baby was born. The men just aren’t looking at Mama the same way. She stopped receiving “gifts” and now her rent is due and not a single one of those jerks is offering to pay. It’s all Baby’s fault... It’s ALL BABY'S FAULT!!! Pretty Nice Mama left when the men left. When Baby and Mama are alone, only Bad Mama exists. Bad Mama is Pure Violent Rage. Baby is all grown up now, but every once and awhile her heart skips a beat and she shudders in terror. Baby Remembers.

"Children are suffering from a hidden epidemic of child abuse and neglect. It’s a widespread war against our children that we have the power to stop, and understanding the issue is the first step. Just how bad is the issue of child abuse in the United States?
Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children (a referral can include multiple children).
The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect.
A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. Yearly, referrals to state child protective services involve 6.6 million children, and around 3.2 million of those children are subject to an investigated report."
To learn more about child abuse and how you can help, please visit: www.childhelp.org

Acrylic on Canvas by Amy E. Fraser (1992-97). All images copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved.

For more Amy E. Fraser art and information go to Aefraser.com