We did an interview with Amy Dudek an artist from Ohio!
[Strwbry Jean]: What’s your favorite medium to work with?
[Amy]: It changes every week but right now I really love paint pens. My style has really opaque and bright colors so paint pens really emulate that.
[Stwrbry Jean]: Who are some artists you draw inspiration from?
[ Amy]: I really love drawing Lady Gaga and drag Queens. I love how colorful and creative they are so I love including that in my art.
[Strwbry Jean]: What’s your favorite thing to draw?
[Amy]: Right now I really love drawing cute houses. Lady gaga and drag queens are up there but when I draw houses it almost always looks cute. When I'm drawing people it can sometimes look wonky because people are hard to draw. But yeah, I love cute houses.
[Strwbry Jean]: Yeah! My friend just went to Martha’s Vineyard where they have multiple gingerbread houses. She stayed in a cat themed one, which is kind of weird but I find it so interesting.
[Amy]: That’s everything.
[Strwbry Jean]: How would you describe your style?
[Amy]: I don’t really have a style but I’d say that bright colors are my only consistent thing about it.
[Strwbry Jean]: Do you collect inspiration from real events and experiences or from your imagination?
[Amy]: I like using my imagination most of the time because when you live in Ohio there is really nothing to get inspiration from.
[Strwbry Jean]: Yeah, my town is really boring as well. It is pretty though I can't lie.
[Amy]: Wait, nevermind I take that back. I sometimes go on little walks to see if I can get inspiration for my cute house drawings.
[Strwbry Jean]: That’s so wholesome!
[Strwbry Jean]: Are you going to art school, if so what’s your favorite and least favorite thing about artistic schooling?
[Amy]:I don’t go to actual art school, I go to Kent state and go to their art school but, I just say I go to art school because it sounds cooler though i'm majoring In design. This is tricky, I haven’t been to school in months but, I love how they take art seriously in school. They’re a little bit harsher and their praise means more. One time I stayed up until 3 AM recreating something and when my professor said it looked better than the first, I was very happy. The validation feels great haha. When you’re from a small town in Ohio, in high school, your art isn’t taken seriously one bit. I also really like the big studios, they’re so spacious. My least favorite thing about schools is that you have to start from square one. They teach you how to draw circles and rectangles but when it picks up, it's fun in a way. Art school is not hard like math and writing essays it, it’s hard in a challenging way but it’s not like I don't want to complete my assignments like I do in math or english.
[Strwbry Jean]: What’s some advice you'd give to other artists?
[Amy]: Definitely follow other artists on instagram. It’s wonderful to look at other peoples work and get inspiration. My art friends I’ve met through instagram really inspire me. One of my roommates is genuinely one of the best artists I’ve ever seen and her work was really cool.
[Strwbry Jean]: Didn’t you match outfits and makeup with your roommate? That’s so expressive.
[Amy]: Yeah I matched outfits with my old roommate for a semester and I want to do it again. I just dont think I’ll find someone else who is willing to match with me. She ended up being kind of a bitch though.
[Stwrbry Jean]: What outfit/day was your favorite?
[Amy]: My favorite was a yellow striped vans top and pink mom jeans. I had two big clips in my hair matched with some platform converse.
{SIDE NOTE FOR AMY READING THIS OVER: WHAT COLOR WAS YOUR FIT TY AND SORRY}
[Strwbry Jean]: I love platform converse!
[Strwbry Jean]: Do you prefer traditional or digital art?
[Amy]: I prefer traditional art. I feel so proud when I can hold my art in my hand after completing it. I love having paint on my hands and making a huge mess. I also tend to forget my digital pieces after I make them. Even if I’m proud of it, a lot of stuff gets lost in my gallery.
[Strwbry Jean]: What’s the biggest piece you’ve done?
[Amy]: It isn’t too big but it was big for me since I mainly create small pieces of art. It was a painting of lady gaga and I started off painting very realistically. I used moelling acrylic for the hair so it was really textured and cool. I set it down for four months though because I kind of forgot about it. I found it one day and wanted to finish it but I didn’t want it to take up too much of my time, so I took some crayons and markers to complete the other side. I sort of scribbled and made it abstract. I’m proud of that piece!
{EDITING NOTE: INSERT PHOTO}
[Strwbry Jean]: What's your favorite artistic era?
[Amy]: This is so tricky! I just took art history so I should know this. Would it be basic to say the renaissance? The renaissance had such a big impact on how we create art today. People still paint like that and I find that so cool. Before the renaissance, nothing was really adopted by art culture today.
[Strwbry Jean]: What art style makes you the most uncomfortable?
[Amy]: I hate doing charcoal works because it’s just yucky. It’s cool how at the end it looks like a photo but that’s really the only enjoyable thing about it.
[Strwbry Jean]: What superpower would you have if you could choose?
[Amy]: I would not want to read minds that sounds awful. I don’t want to know how people think of me. I would probably choose to fly. I hate driving and flying is much safer, and faster. I’m scared of getting into a car accident.
[Strwbry Jean]: I love driving. I love playing my own music and being in my own mind. I haven't been in a car accident but I flipped my car once. No one was there there.
[Amy]: What!? That’s why I would fly. You should drive me everywhere.
[Strwbry Jean]: I wasn’t crying or scared when I got into my “accident” but I was just kind of shocked. I had to get to the first period anyway.
[Amy]: I don’t know how some people can spin out on the highway then show up to the first period like nothing happened. I’d be scared out of my mind.
[Strwbry Jean]: What’s your dream project?
[Amy]: Oo! I have a good answer for this one. I really want to create a cartoon show! I would want to animate, voice act, produce, everything! It would be so cool and I feel like it would be really cute! I major in design though I was originally supposed to major in animation. My boyfriend majors in animation so It’s alright, I feel like we would be the perfect duo. I don’t have a concept yet but I know I would just love having an animated show. It’s just a dream though.
Check out Amy’s work on instagram at @amysefforts and support her by checking out her etsy at [amysefforts]!