Madame Anthropomorphic by Amy Douglas
Madame Anthropomorphic by Amy Douglas
Ceramic Figurine
15cm x 8.5cm
From the collection 'The Art of Salmagundi'
Amy Douglas used her skills in ceramic conservation to realise a project that she called The Art of Salmagundi 2011-2016. (An old French word derived from the obscure 16th century French word salmigondis which means disparate assembly of things).
For years Douglas had to work to a high standard on broken ceramics which were heirlooms or destined for the auction houses. Working for many hours making objects perfect again with invisible mends, she developed an anarchic tic and kick out of restoration. She began to work on broken figurines, restoring them in the wrong way .
Born in 1971 in Hammersmith, Amy Douglas grew up in a theatrical family .She studied at City & Guilds Art school under Flavia de Grey RA (1995-98) in The Decorative Arts, learning the applied arts of gesso work, gilding and specialist painting techniques. She has an MA in printing making from Camberwell College of Art. (2011-12). Amy worked at Shakespeares Globe as Deputy of props, travelled a lot, had two children and restored and conserved ceramics in various studios in East Sussex.. This work influenced what became The Art of Salmagundi.
Her work is skillfully crafted placing the work in between the realm of craft and fine art. A fragmented visual diary of the people in her life, the situations, the things people say, observations and ruminations she experiences in the everyday. Each piece hints at a narrative often with a dark sense of humour.
The approach is playfully serendipitous, created with no particular order or timeline this reflects on the thoughts that life is a series of random stories colliding through the universe. Amy works with ceramics, gold, paint and pencil .
Her work is in numerous private collections and has been exhibited at Lulu Guinness, Paul Smith, Collect, Jack Hanley Gallery, New York and she is a member of The Royal Society of Sculptors.
Her collaborative projects have evolved over the years, working with people with acquired brain injury, neurodiversity, and those living with epilepsy .