.jpg)
Amy Lewis paints to cultivate joy
Amy Lewis paints snapshots of ordinary life glamorized. Lewis is inspired by fashion editorials and historic paintings of aristocracy. She pairs everyday subjects with rich backgrounds to create a juxtaposition between the ordinary and the luxurious. Her representational watercolor and oil paintings, rich in color and detail, draw attention to the things we take for granted.
Lewis is a self taught artist from Tacoma, Washington who paints to cultivate joy and an appreciation for the beauty that is all around us.
In 2023, she was featured in Gita Joshi’s Art Seen magazine and organized her own group pop-up exhibition in Seattle.
My work is a practice of gratitude
My work is a practice in gratitude. It is the cultivation of joy and an appreciation for the beauty that is all around us. I’m constantly exploring ways to portray ordinary life as glamorous.
Everyday objects with luxurious backgrounds create a juxtaposition which sparks an appreciation for the things we take for granted. In the beauty of the ordinary I am reminded to be grateful and to use my privileges for the good of others.
Fashion editorials and historic paintings of aristocracy are rich sources of inspiration. I work in watercolor and oil paints. For watercolors and oil paintings, alike, I paint roughly 3-4 layers. Many layers means that the resulting painting has a smooth finish and vivid complex colors. Depending on the size, medium and complexity of a piece they can take 1-2 days or 1-2 months.
CV Highlights
Press
2024
A award of winning 1st place in Create! Magazine's Glam Exhibition curated by Alicia Puig.
2023
Summer 2023 edition
Gita Joshi's magazine features emerging and mid-career artists in her beautiful print edition magazine. It was an honor to do an interview for Art Seen Magazine.
2020
Grit City Magazine reached out to me. They wanted to do a collaboration with me for the poster insert in their 10th print edition. I painted a watercolor inspired by Art Nouveau featuring 20+ Tacoma landmarks.
Shows
2024
I co-organized a fine art, pop-up art exhibition in downtown Tacoma that featured Lydia Jewel Gerard and myself.
​
2023
I organized a group pop-up art exhibition in downtown Seattle that featured 10 Tacoma artists (including myself).
​
2022
Vol. 2
Curated by Jeremy Buben, Hideout bar and gallery is a hot spot for contemporary art. It was a thrill to be a part of the group show. My piece "Ivory Tower" was featured and was also on the cover of the print catalog of the show.
membership
2022
The Women Painters of Washington was established in 1930. They currently have a gallery space in the Columbia Tour in Seattle. They host events and connect artists with galleries and opportunities.
awards
2024
First place in Create! Magazine's Glam Exhibition curated by Alicia Puig.
Education
2015
Gage Academy of Art, Seattle
I am a self taught artist, meaning I did not attend a high school, college or graduate school for the arts. However, I did attend a youth program at Gage Academy. It was a 5 week program (titled "Portfolio Intensive")that introduced me to classical methods of drawing and oil painting. Most of my knowledge is from experience but Gage was a life changing experience for me.
