Présentation de Amanda HUYNH THUY

I began painting in April 2011, while enrolled at a law school in Paris. Studying law can be extremely stressful, which left me longing to express myself in a far freer way - for me this was painting. Being unschooled in fine art I learnt from videos and much practice – painting subjects how I would like to see them. I see myself as painting primarily for pleasure and hope that this comes across in my work. It is also a testimony to myself; an alliance of sensitivity and character.
I remember that when I was a child I was always fascinated and unusually stimulated by color. Despite never having studied art this interest has grown since my childhood, and now that I've begun to paint I find that I love the freedom that comes with the medium, along with the opportunity to find or define the atmosphere of a painting. Having a special affection for assertive colors, I organize my painting so as to create contrasts, especially by the combination of complementary colors. Therefore, the colors of my paintings are vivid and often express tone, temperament and contrast all at once, everything tinged with a little southern exaggeration.
The origins of my subjects are diverse, ranging from photos and sketches to my own inspiration and creative imagination, springing from whatever I've seen around myself recently. I paint mostly in the studio and often work simultaneously on several paintings which are not necessarily similar, perhaps a portrait alongside a landscape and a still life. This allows me to gain a comparative perspective on my paintings in progress, often transferring a successfully employed new technique to the other current canvases.
My paintings have a lot of human faces. I am particularly obsessed by the eyes of people; sometime we can understand a person solely by looking straight into their eyes, even gaining insight into the darkest and most painful corners of their mind.
My current work is not the result of an abrupt change, rather being the fruit of a long self-study and intense reflection on both past and present pieces.
As a self-taught painter, I was first interested in watercolor for both the softness and fragility of its nuances and the accuracy, dexterity and expertise required in its execution. My paintings from this period are often on paper using the collage technique, through which I paint the subject. (For example "Alone", "Tomorrow is another day", "Look of a child", "Remember me", etc.)
Then I discovered the richness of acrylic; enjoying its smooth texture and sensual feel, also the combined effects of the surface painted and the assembly of colors. ("Take me back to see the sea", "Little girl from the mountain", etc.)
Over the past year I mainly use oils, sometimes including acrylics and sketches. I usually choose a dominant tone, which will occupy at least three-quarters of the painting; a complementary color tone will occupy a smaller area, with a third tone showing only to a slight degree to avoid disturbing the harmony of the piece. The paintings of this period have large expressive masses of color. (Main examples of this type include "Lost Forest", "Take care of your dreams, " "Together, " "Lost, " "My glass-flower perfume, " "Longing for the spring, " "Fruit of the seasons, "" Boy with a hat ", " No title ", " Dream of humans "etc.).
Regarding technical brushes, according to the expression I want to give the painting or theme (landscape, seascape, flowers, etc...), I mostly use brushes under various techniques, occasionally also using a knife.