Amy Sunderman Art
Portraits Still-Life Illustration Murals Cards
Every morning I sit outside on the front porch of my old house in the Sierra Nevada foothills with a steaming mug of freshly ground coffee & let nature fill me with her magic. The wilder the weather, the better.
Art speaks to me in quiet ways through all my senses: the warm rough surface of the hand-thrown ceramic mug I'm holding; the sounds & scents of rain & wind; the chirping of night insects & morning birds; distant voices of neighbors awakening & dogs barking; first light slanting up the pine trees; the changing colors as night transforms into day; the patina of our elders with stories etched upon their faces, the sweetness of children, the purity of animals; the chaotic beauty of nature . . . I'm blessed to see the world as a photographer does - through a lens, in framed compositions.
I loved fairy tale illustrations as a kid & used to seek out quiet places - canyons, tree branches & secret forts - to draw. My fondest Christmas memory is sitting in an old red chair with a new sketchpad & box of crayons, listening to the celebratory chorus of my family opening packages, while I became one with the chair & took a journey into the blank pages.
I worked 7 years as a portrait & caricature artist at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, 15 years as a caricaturist in the private sector, & 20 years as a geriatric nurse. I began this painting journey just after Covid in 2023.
My paintings are an invitation to slow down, be still & imagine. My work is inspired by a love for people, nature, diverse cultures; a passion for music, dance, words & the stories that connect us to one another. Working in oils, acrylics, mixed media, pen/ink/marker/watercolor allows me to choose the language that best expresses each idea - sometimes realistic, other times whimsical or illustrative.
I hope my art offers a moment of peace, sparks the imagination & reminds us that the world is richer, kinder & more extraordinary than we sometimes perceive. If someone leaves one of my paintings feeling a little more hopeful, a little more connected, or simply smiling, then the painting has fulfilled its purpose.
Introduction