Our Amy's art is uncovered

You've seen her cartoons and covers in The Aucklander for years. But now our graphic artist, Amy Mackinnon, is spreading her wings in a joint exhibition, Anima Locus, with fellow artist Jo Dalgety.

The Sandringham resident says she's happy to finally create something she can put her stamp on. "I've always known I can paint but the thing missing was not having anything I can call my own," says Mackinnon.

While the artists' styles differ markedly, the women share a similar philosophical outlook. Dalgety says they realised this when they took classes at Artstation. "We ended up connecting when standing in the same corner painting. We realised we were on the same wavelength when we had to explain our own work."

But  their preferred media are different. Mackinnon uses acrylic paints and pencils to produce a tactile quality, suggestive of sculptural forms in which overlapping curves and twists give a sense of depth beyond the two-dimensions of painting. "I like painting abstract monster-like gargoyles which move and breathe when no one is looking," she says.

Dalgety uses more traditional oils and watercolours, layering bright colours which glow through the earthy hues.

"My ideas originate from specific places," she says, "and although I don't paint the actual people, I'd like to think that my work is reminiscent of the memory of those who walked on the land."

The Aucklander, Sharu Delilkan, Living section, 25th February 2010 | Photo Amos Chapple