Interview With Contemporary Visual Artist Amy Theard

I met this girl from Haiti, a pretty gyal for real All together! You cannot imagine just how she, make me feel All together!

Whey my calypso fans at?!

Amy Theard

 

T

he song Sak Passe from the well-known and loved band, KROSSFYAH perfectly describes Amy Theard.  I met her annual DIGITAL DIVAS CONFERENCE as she was a guest speaker on a panel of successful Caribbean women who worked in different aspects of the Industry. Gorgeous and well accomplished like her fellow panel discussion members, her extremely bubbly and refreshingly candid conversation and confessions really made her separate from ANYONE in the room actually. #jumpinthecab to meet AMY THEARD, celebrity requested and resident painter of our beloved MILK RIVER (located in Brooklyn, New York) and see the live testimony of God's will, beauty and Destiny in the midst of torrential trials and tribulations, like a rose from the concrete.

 

WHAT IS YOUR NATIONALITY?

I'm Haitian, newly American so I guess Haitian-American.

 

WHERE ARE YOU ORIGINALLY FROM AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE NOW?

I was born in Port au Prince, Haiti, came to New York when I was 2 and currently reside in Queens.

 

DESCRIBE YOUR CHILDHOOD (RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR PARENTS, YOUR SCHOOLING, YOUR DREAMS AND ASPIRATIONS AT THE TIME ETC, FRIENDS ETC.) 
My childhood was great. Grew up on a quite block in Hollis, Queen, in a house with my mother, grandmother and older brother. My mother was a single parent mother. My father lived in Haiti; he was an artist as well. He died when I eight years old. I was in Catholic school up until junior high. I can't say I had an exact dream or aspiration growing up, I just knew I was always creative and always looked into or was interested in anything creative. I always for some reason stayed away from painting because it was my father’s thing and I never wanted to be reminded or compared to him. As for friends I always had tons of those, my personality type is very much the extrovert.

 

HOW DID THE ABSENCE OF YOUR FATHER AFFECT YOU (POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY)? 
I never realized it until I was older just how the absence of my father affected me. I will say at first it was a negative because of the typical daddy issues most young women experience when a male figure isn't in their lives, but after coming to terms with it. I realized parents aren't perfect and people make mistakes and it's best to let go and forgive. My father loved his children and he left us much to be proud of.

 

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO HAITI?  

What made me go to Haiti was sheer curiosity and a yearning to know my people, history, culture and country first hand.  

 

WHAT MADE YOU START YOUR ARTISTRY? AND WHY PAINTING IN PARTICULAR?
A series of unfortunate events in my life at that time, everything was going wrong and I felt I needed an outlet. A family member suggested I started painting so I did and instantly became obsessed with it; it was as if something inside of me just came alive. Finally, I had a passion for something.

 

WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AMY WHO LEFT NYC TO GO HAITI AND THE AMY WHO CAME FROM HAITI BACK TO NYC?

Amy, who left NYC was looking for herself and her place in this world, Amy who came back to NYC was wiser and now has a purpose and a mission. She is also more confident and sure of herself because she has found her strength.

 

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT ESTABLISHING YOUR SELF AS AN ARTIST?
The Hardest thing I could say for me was learning to be patient and not so anxious of every opportunity. I had to learn the business aspect and be more strategic.  

 

WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF YOUR FIRST SALE OF A PAINTING, HOW DID IT GO DOWN?
My first sale actually happened while I was still  living in Haiti, a friend of my aunts had come over to dinner and seen my work and purchased two paintings on the spot. It was exciting for me to know that people besides my friends and family enjoyed my work and would pay good money for it. He was also an art collector.

 

WERE THERE NEY-SAYERS WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED YOUR JOURNEY? AND WHAT IS THERE OPINION NOW?

No, I was very lucky and surprised on how much family support I had and still have for my decision to become a professional artist.

 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMAN SUFFERING FROM A SERIOUS BREAKUP?
Be better and not bitter! Allow yourself the time you need to heal but don't dwell too much on the past. Do a lot of self-reflecting and try to get into a hobby or activity that serves for the betterment of you. Just take it one day at a time.

 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR ASPIRING PAINTERS?

Practice makes perfect and there is no right or way to paint, learn as you go and don't be too critical or your work.

 

HOW DO YOU FEEL PROUD AS A SUCCESSFUL HAITIAN AMERICAN WOMAN?

I am grateful for every opportunity that has come my way and even prouder to be able to do what I love all while representing who I am and where I come from. I'm very happy and excited to be able to reach people through art.

 

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO PAINT?

My feelings, moods and experiences.

 

TAKE US THROUGH YOUR PROCESS WHEN YOU START A PIECE

I don't really have a process, I just start to paint and don't stop until I'm finished or utterly exhausted. 

 

IF YOU HAD TO DO A CUSTOM PIECE FOR A SPECIFIC CLIENT, WHAT WOULD YOU NEED TO KNOW OR FEEL OR SEE FROM YOUR CLIENT?

I typically am lucky with clients who trust my judgement and let me do my own thing. But most of the time I can gather my own info about my clients just by asking them what they want. 

 

DESCRIBE THE IRONY ABOUT YOU AND YOUR DAD'S REALTIONSHIP- AND YOUR CAREER NOW IN ONE WORD 

Destiny

 

By;SharLisa Peterson

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