Amy Lewark

Artist Biography

During her career as a scientist, Amy Lewark tried to keep her brain “balanced” by drawing or painting. While doing her undergraduate study, focusing on Physiological Psychology, she won the Ruth G. Hanaw Award for Excellence in Drawing from Tulane University two years in a row.

Amy attributes the relatively quick success of her works to the solid foundation in art she received in childhood through classical art training, which deeply affected her view of the world. Looking at neurons through a confocal microscope, sitting at a traffic light, or even seeing the sunlight come through a window, splashing on a table stimulates her desire to create art. She sees artistic potential everywhere.

Only recently did she realize the deep similarity between art and science and how they both satisfy basic needs for her. Both require intense concentration, and yet both require flexibility and the ability to look at a subject from multiple perspectives. Neither is finite; they both swell with never-ending possibility for exploration and growth. Amy has always been most satisfied when learning new subjects or cultivating new abilities; she has continually conducted experiments to see if the physical world could possibly match her dreams for it.

Brilliant colors, strange shapes and nostalgia are what Amy attempts to capture in her artwork, regardless of the medium or process. She sees her work as a constant evolution, drawing from her lifelong learning and experimentation, exercising both her analytical and creative mind. Often, the most interesting discoveries come from the marriage of seemingly unrelated subjects or materials, and so she hopes to continue exploration of art in that vein.

Despite a recent decision to pursue art as a career, Amy has already won numerous awards. She is deeply grateful for the wonderful community of artists and experimenters which provides an excellent support and mentorship network in her home town of Loveland, CO.

Amy’s artwork can be seen at amylewark.com, on Instagram, and she is offering prints of select works at Fine Art America and Rabbask Designs in downtown Loveland, Colorado.

 
Juried Shows
AIMS Community College Student/Teacher Show, 2018 - Greeley, CO
Honorable Mention, Architecture Division, Wild Rivers Plein Air Festival, May 2017 - Questa, NM
Loveland Art Studio Tour & Loveland Museum/Gallery Studio Tour Preview Exhibition, October 2015 – Loveland, CO
34th Annual Western Spirit Art Show and Sale and Vandewark Miniatures Show, 2015 – Cheyenne, WY
Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Inaugural International Online Art Competition and Exhibition, Fall 2014
2nd Paint the Poudre Plein Air Competition, July 2014 – Fort Collins, CO
Colorado Watercolor Society Members Show, July 2014 – Fort Collins, CO
1st Butte House Art Show, June-October 2014 – Loveland, CO
Loveland Museum/Gallery, Form and Figure: Loveland Wild Life Sessions, Summer 2014 – Loveland, CO
Awards Honorable Mention, Encaustic/Mixed Media, Thompson Valley Art League Regional Fine Art Show, June 2015
Featured Artist, Thompson Valley Art League, March 2015 - Loveland, CO
Honorable Mention, Oil Painting, Thompson Valley Art League SweetArt Show, February 2015
First Place, Pastels, Thompson Valley Art League Fall Member Show, October 2014
Honorable Mention, Encaustic/Mixed Media, Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Inaugural Online Art Competition and Exhibition, October 2014
Second Place, Watercolor, Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Fall Show, September 2014
First Place, Watercolor, Thompson Valley Art League Regional Fine Art Show, June 2014
Third Place, Encaustic/Mixed Media, Thompson Valley Art League Regional Fine Art Show, June 2014
People’s Choice, Watercolor, Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Go Figure! Show, April 2014
People’s Choice (tied), Watercolor, Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Go Figure! Show, April 2014
Featured Artist, Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado Go Figure! Exhibit – Fort Collins, CO
Ruth G. Hanaw Award for Excellence in Drawing, Tulane University, 1995
Ruth G. Hanaw Award for Excellence in Drawing, Tulane University, 1996

Memberships
Colorado Watercolor Society, 2014-2016
Plein Air Artists of Colorado, 2015-2016
Thompson Valley Art League, 2014-2016
Artists’ Association of Northern Colorado, 2013-2015

Art Education & Continuing Studies
Sculpting for Digital Media, (3D Printing), AIMS Community College, Greeley, CO - 2018
Art History: 1900-Present, AIMS Community College, Greeley, CO - 2017
Sculpture, AIMS Community College, Greeley, CO - 2017
Encaustic Workshop, Susan Clark-Ort, Fort Collins, CO - 2014
Pastel Workshop, Mike Beeman, PSA-MC, Terry Ludwig Pastels, Englewood, CO – 2014
Watercolor Workshop, Richard Schilling, Schissler Fine Art Academy, Loveland, CO – 2014
Oil Classes, Mary Giacomini, Loveland, CO – 2014-2015
Watercolor Classes, Mary Giacomini, Loveland, CO – 2012-2014
Loveland Wild Life Sessions Figurative Atelier, Loveland, CO – 2012-2015
Pastel Painting, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, CA – 2000
Oil Painting, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA – 1996
Acrylic Painting, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA – 1995
Drawing, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA – 1994
Weekly Classical Art Instruction, Sally Bartalot, Denver, CO – 1980-1988

Degrees
M.S., Neurobiology, Ohio University – 1999
B.A., Physiological Psychology, Tulane University – 1996

Publications
Loveland Art Studio Tour Preview Exhibition Listing, Aha! Brochure, City of Loveland Cultural Services Department – Fall 2015
Amy Lewark Keeps Art Alive, Kenneth Jessen, Reporter Herald, Loveland, CO – May 12, 2015
Art Matters, Yellow Scene Magazine, Colorado – 2014
Art Alive! A Fresh Approach to the Basics, Sally Bartalot, Denver, CO – 2010