Amy Smithers

Through self-portraiture, Amy Smithers presents the female form as a personification for art. She studied concepts space as a woman in domestic and professional environments, and created her own sets using art direction, props and set design. By studying feminist philosophies of selfhood and women’s history, she embodies her own identity and becomes a metaphor for ‘woman’, making a self-portrait a communal experience between viewer and artist. Thread as Ink, explores the definition of ‘women’s work’ by studying the textile arts of women artists. Amy pays homage to these women who opened doors for female artists today, who used thread as ink and fabric as pages.  Her book, Women’s Work, is a continuation of this concept that incorporates poetry and still life. She uses structures that can be linked to domestic femininity, such as the recipe, cosmetic rituals and the dinner table, to communicate female creative and nurturing energy.