Amber Leah Dow was born in Madison, GA and moved to LaGrange, GA at age 11 graduating from Troup High School and receiving a B.A. from the University of West Georgia. Amber currently lives in the southern suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and young son, working as a graphic designer and studio artist at her company SIKADA.
Amber volunteers her time coordinating and instructing art classes at West Georgia Health in LaGrange Georgia. She also served as secretary on the board of directors at LaGrange Art Museum. Amber considers herself to be an art activist and community art advocate.
Amber’s volunteer work with the Enoch Callaway Cancer Clinic at West Georgia Health has provided her with the opportunity to produce an annual community art project with the local community.
In November of this year Amber has been ask to provide a lecture and workshop to the art therapy graduate students of The School of Visual Arts in NYC. Amber will share her findings and inspiration for the first community art project BodyWorks | the journey produced in 2011.
Amber's work has been on display at LaGrange National XXVI, RED gallery, Flint Gallery of Panoply Design, Clemens & Co. Gallery, The Lotus Studio and Night at the Dodd. Body Works - LaGrange Art Museum, Creative Center for Learning 2011 CONNECTIONS| the journey - The Cochran Gallery, LaGrange GA -opening scheduled for September 27th, 2012 6:30pm
Artist Statement
Working with large pieces is more of a journey than a quick release of expression. I use layers, multiple textures and imagery to create realistic emotions in an abstract medium. The early 20th century & late 19th century images inspire me to pay homage to women bound by draconian roles and traditions. These snapshots frozen in time along with memories and symbolism from my own childhood help me sculpt a scene much greater than the sum of its parts. My use of color is reserved but not absent much like a dream or a distant memory. My goal is to invoke empathy and healing for the past with a healthy dose of darkness for posterity.
Artist Summary
Vast farm land with huge antebellum homes cover the landscape of Madison GA and are a stark contrast to the old abandoned textile mills which dot the small town of LaGrange GA, but influences of both childhood homes can be seen in Amber’s work. The dark industrial look combined with the large eclectic scenes appears as a perverse union of the two rural towns.
Working in mixed media gives Amber the freedom to use many techniques while staying true to a style uniquely her own. Multiple textures, layers and finishes provide a complex back drop for each scene or character. Drawing on themes from the past and childhood Amber uses vintage almost antique imagery to construct scenes frozen in time yet alive with emotion.
Growth is neither painless or with out anguish, however it is essential for survival. It is only through reverence for those who came before us and an abdication of our own fears that one can truly grow-or Auctus.
