Amy Massey is a visual artist and massage therapist living in Asheville, NC. She grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and received a BFA from Columbus College of Art & Design. Initially, her studies were focused on photography and its ability to intimately capture the essence of a place or person. As she honed her creative vision, she began yearning for a means to capture less tangible aspects of the human experience, and painting became the perfect outlet for that exploration.

Amy’s current body of work, Portals and Passages consists of delicate, ethereal vignettes painted in watercolor & gouache on watercolor paper. This work illustrates the push and pull of emotion, intentionally using negative space to suspend fluid forms while seeking both tension and harmony in the intricate, lively relationships of line, shape and color. The resulting images are often like portals, welcoming the viewer to draw inward and rest within their vibrant, meditative essence. The elusive dynamic of interpersonal relationships and the nurturing energetics she has come to know through her work as a massage therapist are prominent themes explored throughout her paintings.

Dimensions of Intimacy is a series of surreal, dreamlike landscapes interwoven with an intricate layering of geometric patterning, done in acrylic on canvas. These paintings evolved from an integration of experiences both lived and dreamed, each image holding a reflection of a place that is both physical and emotional in nature. The goal of this body of work is to explore the sensations we glean from different environments, and to explore the symbolism of space in terms of the relationships we develop with ourselves, others, and the world around us.