We were lucky to catch up with Amber Andersen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I am currently creating a body of work that discusses grief and the aftermath of loss. Between traumatic miscarriage, the loss of my 2 month old daughter, and my oldest child facing stage 4 cancer, I have personally experienced an extreme amount of grief and mourning in a short amount of time. My current body of works reflect not only the despair that I faced, but also the return to life in the aftermath of grief. I use imagery connected with both death and decay, and life and growth to represent these coexisting emotions and stages of life. Fungi, forest floor botanicals, and insects represent this intermingled process. In the wild these life forms literally break down matter of things that once were, and reuse those materials to create rich life. This parallels to a process that I feel I am doing within myself. I also use what I call “grief symbols,” to represent the idea of lost loved ones. In nearly all of my paintings these symbols are present.

Amber, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

When people ask how long I’ve been creating art, I like to tell them, “since I could hold a pencil.” That feels most true. Creating art has been my calling since I can remember. I was given art awards throughout primary school, and continued my education in art at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. In my junior year of college, I got married and didn’t continue my art education at that point. I moved back to my home state of Oklahoma with my husband and we started a family. I continued to create work as a stay at home mom, but I didn’t really focus on my art career again until after my Eldest child was diagnosed with cancer. Near the end of his treatment my family made some major decisions about careers and it became clear that it was time for me to pursue creating as a career. I started in my small town of Woodward, Oklahoma by painting murals, and soon connected with Larry K. Hill, another local artist.
Soon, I started a position at his gallery, Larry K Hill Studios, located on 715 Main Street in Woodward, as Gallery Director. In this position I help in decision making processes like physical transformation of the 100+ year old building, and developing goals for the business. In addition I plan and schedule classes and events, and even teach some.
Since then, I’ve been asked to do a solo exhibition at the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum, here in Woodward, and I’ve also been interviewed for, and on the cover of Woodward Magazine, Spring Issue for my illustration of the children’s book “Millie Finds Her Miracle.”
Right now I offer original paintings and prints in my shop, as well as commissions and mural projects. One thing I’ve learned through the commission projects that cross my desk is that many people are facing similar struggles with grief and loss. I have been told that my openness and creative body of work acts as a voice for women in general facing miscarriage, child loss, or other facets of grief that affects mothers. The majority of my commissions come from mothers, or are for mothers. It’s an unexpected, but welcome phenomenon, that these women feel connected and comfortable to share their grief with me, and ask me to create these special Works For them.

As far as murals go, the first one I created was in my youngest son’s nursery, depicting a forest floor scene. I followed that by creating a public work titled “Prickly Poppies and Pollinators” in the Court of Colors, an outdoor event space at Larry K Hill Studios. That is actually how I became connected with Larry. Later, a group dedicated to beautifying the town of Buffalo, OK, hired me to paint a mural on a building on their Main Street.

I hope that my work continues to inspire others to be open about their grief and act as a voice for those unable or unwilling yo openly share their struggles with loss.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I personally believe that creatives need support from all aspects. Simple things like sharing or commenting on social media posts not only boosts us numerically, but also emotionally, which is a huge aspect of having the mental “fuel” to create and share that work. Most artists, myself included, believe in art for all and have affordable Options like prints, stickers, t-shirts, and what have you. Financially supporting an artist does everything that interacting on social media does, and also helps pay the bills. Of course going out and supporting creatives at exhibitions or purchasing originals is the most helpful.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think one thing that illustrates resilience is that most people who aren’t creatives don’t realize that many artists have to sit with the emotion that inspires their work while creating. For instance, my current work’s connection with grief means I am regularly analyzing my own grief and the emotions connected with that. While it is cathartic to be so open with myself, it also means I sit in the deep troughs of what grief entails to creat work that accurately embodies that.

Contact Info:

• Website: Etsy.com/shop/amberandersenart
• Instagram: Instagram.com/amberandersenart
• Facebook: Facebook.com/amberandersenart
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@amberandersenart5903