Interview with artist Amy Scoggins
Amy Scoggins is a native Arkansan living in Fort Smith. After earning a BFA in painting from Missouri State and an MEd from Drury University, she began a 20-year career of teaching art. Now a full-time artist, Amy’s most recent paintings explore her fascination with nature and its interaction with man-made structural forms. More of Amy’s work can be found at her website amyscogginsart.com.
AAS: Amy, tell me about your background. Where did you grow up?
AS: I’ve spent the majority of my life in Fort Smith, Arkansas- we moved several times, but never further than two miles – you know moving trucks charge by the mile. For college, I journeyed to the distant lands of Missouri and attended Missouri State in Springfield. I declared as a 6th grader that I wanted to teach high school art, but I was apparently determined to take the most arduous path possible via a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and later learning the “how to teach kids” part. This decision was confirmed for me on the day that I visited one of the Art Ed classes- they were tossing a ball of yarn around and talking about “feelings”. I remember quickly sneaking out the door to return to my haven of the stressful, dark, and filthy painting studio. There is a misconception that art degrees are fluffy fun degrees. While madly cramming for art history tests and working incessantly on paintings, I would catch glimpses of students outside, playing frisbee and having friends, “what on earth are THEY majoring in?” I wondered, and decided they must be the English majors, haha. After graduating with my BFA in painting, I began teaching high school at a beautiful historic public school in town. While teaching, I finished my Masters in Education and learned “how to teach” with my boots on the ground…and perhaps a few tears in my storage room. Goodness, how I loved those kids and staff. Even though I was only a few years older than my students, they were “my kids” from day one.
I taught for 5 years until our daughter was born and she informed me in her infant tongue that not only was my full-time presence required at her side, but that she also needed us to move her near her grandparents in Fort Smith. We obliged and our son was born shortly after. The last 13 years have been spent in Fort Smith, homeschooling them, teaching art occasionally, but predominantly in the career of motherhood and medical research- desperately trying to get to the bottom of issues that my kids have long struggled with. Until very recently, those things required every bit of my focus. Thankfully, we now have medical answers, our kids are doing well and, as cool high school students themselves, much of their education is self-driven. As we were beginning to experience this freedom in 2020, I crawled out from under my piles of medical binders and began working part-time as the curator at a local art center, Arts on Main in Van Buren. I remember leaving the interview and calling my husband to say, “I don’t have the time to take this job – but I can’t explain it, I think I have to.”
It turns out that a year spent there, surrounded by art, working with inspirational area artists, and discovering I had a passion outside of the classroom was the start of a new chapter that I never anticipated.
AAS: Was art and being creative a part of your experience growing up?
AS: Both of my parents are very creative. We are a people who take things apart, don’t read instructions, and fix things that would be quicker and cheaper to simply replace. My mom had her hand in all sorts of beautiful work and my dad rebuilt kids’ lives while teaching art at the high school down the street. I don’t remember much formal “art instruction” in my childhood, other than my observation of them, but there was a “me-sized” box of art supplies under my bed and lots of unsupervised time. What more could a kid want? My dad is now retired and a master wood turner, I’ll say “master”, he’ll disagree, but you can see his work at @a_chosen_vessel on Instagram and judge for yourself.
AAS: Who are some of the artists who have had the greatest influence and impact on your art? How do you define your style, or do you have a particular style?
AS: In school I had a rigorous academic training with the dramatic narratives of favorites like Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Lucian Freud. The list of those who impact me now is enormous and growing all the time- Uglow, Diebenkorn, Hopper, Rackstraw Downes, Ann Gale, and Peter VanDyck, to name a quick few. Social media is a funny thing, I hate it for the time drain and vulnerability it requires in the name of “promoting my art”, a concept that I still feel strange about, yet it is also my greatest tool of research and communication with fellow working artists. I learn so much by constantly discovering new artists and reaching out to them. How else would it be possible for me to sit in my little Arkansas studio, chatting with a fellow painter in Australia about her methods and supplies? It is simply mind boggling, and so very helpful.
Do I have a style? Others are probably the best judges of that as I feel like my work varies so much. I am drawn to concepts of “abstracted realism” which basically means that my work is grounded in direct observation but largely impacted by my interpretation of shapes, gesture, light, with a love for aggressive scraping and deep surface history – or at least that is my goal.
AAS: When I look at your work, I keep coming back to one particular painting – The Cooling Room. I love the way you juxtaposed the rendered strength of the ceiling with the fluid movement of the shiny floor. It is an exceptional work. Tell me about that piece.
The Cooling Room, 20” x 33”, oil on canvas
AS: Thank you, I’m glad that one resonates with you. Some paintings are a struggle but that one wanted to jump off the brush. I am drawn to historical buildings and the hints of the stories they contain in their industrial lines and soaring spaces. This painting is from one of the two locations that I have been focusing on this year with the generous support of the building owners- The Bakery District in Fort Smith. When it was a working bakery, my grandfather was the CFO and my dad and uncle made bread in the factory. I love that familial connection with this space. The inspiration for these works is that the building itself sets the stage for dynamic light shows across the already beautiful industrial structure, if I know where to be and when. For that reason, I kept several concurrent canvases in progress on the vast property. Working on site as much as possible is crucial for me, especially when I get a free hard hat out of the deal.
AAS: The Remnant was recently on exhibit at the Walton Center. Tell me about that piece.
The Remnant, 30” x 40”, oil on canvas
AS: The Remnant is part of a show at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville highlighting the work of many Arkansas artists. It was an honor to be included. This piece was painted in my first historic location where I worked through the winter and early spring of this year. The building is amazing and once was a grandiose antique store that belonged to Eva Gotlib, a holocaust survivor. Though the space is stripped to its structural bones now, it still contains a few abandoned antiques which inspired a series that I’m still working on. The building owners, Propak Logistics, allowed me full access to the space as long as I didn’t mind the lack of electricity or plethora of frozen dead birds…. both aspects, of course, became stars of the paintings. The Remnant features three left-behind chairs which seemed to take on personalities in my months of darkness and solitude with them. At noon each day the sun would break through onto the chairs, lighting the stage and bringing their drama to life. My time in that building was crucial. With 30,000 square feet to explore and (for the first time in this mother’s memory) no human contact unless I sought it out, I had the opportunity and inspiration to push myself hard, not worrying about the failures. I began with drawings, getting to know the space, and slowly laid down the ridiculous inhibitions that had me tethered. Some days went terribly and that was okay because my drive was not quenched and I would simply start again, celebrating the tiny breakthroughs along the way and thanking God for the chance to try again. As the weather began to warm, the outdoors called to me again (and I was a little concerned what it would be like once the birds thawed), so I took a break from the space but have plans to return soon.
AAS: Many of your interior scenes are of seemingly abandoned spaces. What fascinates you about those spaces? Ascension is one of my favorites and what you have done with the light is just wonderful.
Ascension, 50” x 32”, oil on canvas
AS: Ascension is another painting from my beloved Gotlib antique building. It is nearly five feet tall, the biggest of the series, and is painted on top of one of my old paintings that I ripped off my parents’ wall as they protested. That is a favorite practice of mine for several reasons: I love the surface quality of an old painting as well as the way a prior painting can unexpectedly be used to break through visibly into a new one. I also relish the psychological aspect of breaking down a weaker painting but using it to build a stronger one. I have plans for more big pieces, they’re my favorite actually. The large canvas was perfect in that giant space and the dance required to work the surface gave this painting the energy and physicality that I have been seeking. It showcases a moment in the day when the sun floods the pink walls of the second floor and throws a rosy glow down the makeshift stairs into the cool darkness of the first floor. It is that staircase, visible from the street windows, that called to me and was the catalyst for this entire project.
I don’t always seek out abandoned spaces, but I am definitely drawn to dramatic areas. There is something about the emptiness though that allows uninterrupted reflection and dynamic growth in a way that my studio or working in the public does not. I need the simultaneous contributions of all those locations and that is why I usually am working in several spaces and genres at the same time.
AAS: You also paint lovely portraits like Portrait in Red. Do you do commissions?
Portrait in Red, 20” x 16”, oil on canvas
AS: Thank you. Portrait in Red is actually a recent self-portrait painted on top of a self-portrait done one year prior. Now that I consider the dates, it is nearly time to paint another portrait on top of it. Won’t an X-ray of that be exciting in another 30 years? I should probably really stop doing that.
Yes, I accept commissions very selectively and have begun to really enjoy them. It is a humbling and beautiful thing to be sought out by someone who has seen my work and wants me to be involved in a vision they have. Because the process requires us to work so closely together, clients easily become dear friends.
AAS: Tell me about Studio Visitors. The composition and again the lighting make it very mysterious and captivating.
AS: Darkness and dramatic light is pretty standard in much of my work, I think I owe that to the early influence of Caravaggio. My patient daughter and husband modeled for Studio Visitors. The goal was to create mystery and an open narrative for the viewer to explore and spend time with, like a good book. I could tell you the narrative I was working with, but I prefer to listen to what it speaks to others.
Studio Visitors, 16” x 20”, oil on canvas
AAS: You’ve painted outside scenes in many places in Arkansas and elsewhere. And recently, Midnight Glow won first place at the Siloam Springs Plein Air show. What is it about plein air that excites you?
Golden Vermont, 10” x 8”, oil on canvas
AS: I love working in plein air because it is a stark contrast to everything else I paint and it is so very hard. The demanding outdoor physical nature of it is exhilarating and appeals to my soul while the time constraints of changing weather and light demand that I make swift decisions. I cherish my time outdoors, attempting to understand and translate God’s creation. It resets me and gives me much-needed fresh air. An added bonus of plein air is that there is an entire art community built around this practice, unlike any other genre. I have met some amazing friends through the wild world of plein air which has been marvelous because a supportive community is so crucial. My painter friend April Burris and I make sure to stagger our artistic breakdowns so that we are available to pick each other up and get one another back to the easel. The Heart of America Artist’s Association hosts wonderful events in Siloam Springs and throughout Arkansas if anyone is needing somewhere to plug in.
Midnight Glow, 16” x 20”, oil on canvas
Midnight Glow was completed mid-October 2022 and was a personal victory, not only because of the honor of winning first place, but more so because it was a declaration of what a year of hard work and dedication can yield….the words ”hard work” feel like such an understatement. I competed in the same competition in 2021 as my first plein air event and it was a disaster. It was my first time to travel alone, I didn’t have the correct equipment, the town was unfamiliar to me, and I painted a series of terrible paintings. I stumbled around the town unsuccessfully for two days and were it not for my sweet husband on the phone urging me to stay, I certainly would have given up. My kids were so proud of me going, I didn’t want them to see me quit because it was hard. The next day my buddy April arrived in town with both some much-needed pthalo blue and much-needed counsel to quit starting new paintings and return to the strongest one I had. I did and, shockingly, it won. It was one of the first of many little nuggets of “a ha” that I keep encountering. I feel like I have no idea where I am headed, but the velocity at which the Lord is moving my steps is dizzying. I was eager to return to the same competition this year, feeling like a totally different person and totally different painter. I knew the town, I had the equipment, I had no fear and very little time before the deadline. As the sun went down and the streetlights, alley lights, and moonlight illuminated the scene, I knew I had something worth doing. It was a joy to paint and I was so thankful to be there. Unfolding on my canvas, I was able to experience the tangible growth from the year of incessant labor, made possible by the support of my family and friends and the unbelievable opportunities that the Lord has placed in my path.
AAS: You recently decided to become a full-time artist after many years homeschooling and caring for children. How was that transition and was it an easy one?
AS: The decision to pursue art full-time has been a complex one for our family because it can be a very all-consuming and solitary career if I’m not careful. It is easy for me to be captive to churning thoughts or battling the emotional highs and lows from painting outcomes and the pressures of being constantly evaluated by myself and those who view my work. It has also been an adjustment going from more obvious “service jobs” to one that I can’t clearly see a direct way that it helps anyone. Moving from a career as a full-time mom into one of an artistic maniac mom who is constantly paint-stained and travels frequently has only been possible because of the unwavering encouragement of my family. We continually work as a team on that balance, evaluating every opportunity carefully to try to maintain our priorities.
AAS: Amy, you don’t limit yourself to any particular genre. You seem to like exploring all subjects and styles. What do you think that says about you as a painter and what can we expect next?
AS: I DO love exploring all subjects. I don’t want to be limited to certain subjects because I am curious about all things everywhere. Ultimately, I think the variety strengthens my work. We will never reach the end of all there is to learn on this earth, yet I believe there is nothing new under the sun. It’s a complicated dichotomy but one that I find very reassuring. It’s nice to rest in awe of the creation in which we dwell, not feeling the pressure to conquer it or be the most brilliant in all the land. I can exist, appreciating my brief time here, loving those around me, striving to do my best, and that is enough.
2023 is looking very exciting. I have a solo show, which will open in January at the Bakery District Gallery in Fort Smith. It will include over 50 of the pieces I have completed in the last 12 months. In the spring I have been given the amazing opportunity to travel and study in Europe – I look forward to seeing the impact this makes on my work. On June 2nd and 3rd I will be returning to teach two more adult workshops at Crystal Bridges. Details can be found on their website as that time draws closer. I wish I could travel back to myself three years ago- where 'past me' sat clutching our son in the hospital. I would tell her that the kids would be okay and share this final paragraph with her. She wouldn't be able to comprehend it. There is hope to be had in the midst of struggles and life paths have a way of taking unexpected turns....sometimes they're covered in paint.
