Interview: Amy Reid Hirst

Lena:

This piece, Dust, came together so beautifully, I can’t stop looking at it. Thank you for being open to collaborating in this way. As a friend, I’ve appreciated your art practice for many years. Can you tell me about when and where you were in your life when you started this method of drawing?

Amy:

I have so enjoyed the process, especially during this year. I’ve been working with text for a while now, since college in London (about 12 years ago). I was teaching myself the software Illustrator and was new to graphic design. I have a background in textiles. I became really interested in how the typefaces were formed and this started to become the basis of my work.

Lena:

What are the materials you use in your art practice?

Amy:

In previous jobs/lives I was a screen printer both commercially and for my own work– I love printing so much. After having my children and moving around a lot, screen printing and all the equipment wasn’t easy to access, so I went back to basics really, just paper and pencils. This piece was originally a pencil drawing on folded newsprint. In screen printing I used a ton of newsprint to test and align screens, and I have always loved it as a paper in itself. When I started the paper folding, newsprint worked so beautifully as it is so thin and folds easily. It took me a while to develop a new way of working but I also like working with constraints. I work around my children a lot, and it feels nice to not to be so precious about my materials right now.

Lena:

Can you tell me about the text used in this piece, what does it say and why you chose it?

Amy:

This last year I really started reading poetry as a little escape away from everything! Some seemed too important not to document somehow, so they then became the texts I used to draw from. Sometimes I will draw whole poems, sometimes just single words or parts of stories or songs. I like using rules and guides to make the work, the text gives me parameters to work within. This piece is based on Mary Oliver’s ‘Poem of the one world’. It says:

this one world
we all belong to
where everything
sooner or later
is a part of everything else

Lena:

How does your drawing time fit into your daily life right now?

Amy:

I have moved my studio back home now and it has enabled me to work more easily. My children have been home with me during this last year, which has had its challenges but we try to do something creative most days. Time to myself is limited, but when I do have time I can go to this drawing method. I am excited to see how it evolves.

Lena:

Is there anything else you’d like to say about Dust?

Amy:

I am so happy we made it happen! Thank you.

Lena:

Thank you!