23rd April – 15th May 2026
Opening Night: 23rd April 7pm

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Bienvenida captures the warmth and comfort I feel when travelling, and is inspired by the vibrancy and excitement I was surrounded by a trip to Spain with my family last summer. The work in this exhibition has been created over the course of eight months during my two semesters of third year at Edinburgh College of Art. All the prints within this exhibition are made from the same five pieces of lino that I carved within the first few weeks of the project. They have not only been used to create lino prints on paper and canvas, but I also used them to create film positives for screen prints as well. 

I aim to create spaces with my art where viewers feel welcome to be curious and explore art. As you can see, I love colour, I think it’s the perfect way for me to express myself and the inspirations behind my art. From the colours within the art itself to the titles I’ve given each piece, I hope you can feel this inspiration and that it gives you a chance to step into my world that I call home. I am inspired by the accessibility of printmaking as a more affordable art form with almost no size restraints. I enjoy experimenting with the presentation of my art, to show that my art becomes the space and the space doesn’t have to be made for the art. I aim to experiment with the tension between using a space and creating a space with my art.

I love the accessibility of printmaking; it’s a very welcoming art form and I like to pull this into work as I want to allow people to see that the art world is for everyone. When it comes to why I like printmaking as an artist I think I’m a little strange sometimes because I love the parts a lot of artists hate, I love the labour-intensive parts of printmaking from working with a small piece of lino to cover a large surface, like I did for pieces such as El Lienzo and La Lona in this exhibition to using smaller scale works to create large final pieces such as Papel Pintado Series.

A huge inspiration to me for this project has been the work of artist Ciara Phillips. After recently being introduced to her work, I have become heavily influenced by her and her practice. I was able to experience her art through her exhibition at GOMA and feel the raw, enthusiastic life that radiates from her work. I strive to bring the energy she creates in her work, through in my own practice. I aim to show the significance of the artists participation and personal touch, just like Ciara does through her practice. Like Ciara, I learn through doing, what some people would call mistakes, these can be the most important parts of my work and become part of the final artwork because these are the parts where I feel most involved, like I have been able to leave my personal touch within my art. ‘Mistakes’ happen and I want to embrace this within my work, and as I continue to develop my artistic practice, this is becoming clearer and more important to me.

I have been extremely lucky as a student to have some amazing studio spaces, and my studio has become a crucial part of my practice. My studio isn’t only a place for me to work and create, it’s somewhere I can fill with information and ideas to allow me to be constantly inspired and excited. I aim to create art that not only fills a blank space but makes it feel like home, were viewers are welcome to explore and feel a sense of comfort with what they find. This experience for viewers starts with my studio as I want to give viewers a chance to feel the energy and excitement I feel there. For this project this meant surrounding myself with my work as I was creating it to allow it to continue to inspire me and move forward with new ideas but also with my life outside of the works themselves. For me this is usually my favourite music (anyone that knows me will be sick of hearing me talking about how much I love country music… and Tenille!), but most importantly my family. 

I’m so lucky to say that my family is my biggest inspiration, their love and support means the world to me and without them I wouldn’t be who I am. My studio is always filled with pictures of us to keep reminding me why I do what I do. They’ve always encouraged me to do what I love and they’re the reason why I’m here. Anyone looking in on our family would think we’re crazy (which we are) but this is the crazy that I can call home. I hope Bienvenida gives you a glimpse into my crazy world because if I can let you feel that then my work might start to make a bit more sense and you might be able to see why art can make a space feel like home.

As a printmaker, I am drawn to meticulous, process driven techniques. I aim for my work to show that art doesn’t have to be the intense, guarded world that it’s often known as but instead, it can be what creates the world around us, making a space a home. I create my work with the aspiration of creating a space that feels welcoming and comfortable for both the artist and the viewer. From my dynamic studio space to carefully considered exhibition spaces, I want to carry this feeling through with me, and I find my use of rich, radiant colours plays a key role in creating this atmosphere, where viewers are eager to explore the work. My colour choices spring from the vibrancies I see and feel around me when travelling; I feel so captivated by the energy and ease felt on holiday.

Whether I’m working within my energetic studio space or from the comfort of my bedroom, I like to be able to see that art can be practical, while still being meaningful and impactful. My new projects and new ideas all start by collecting drawings, allowing me to see my life on paper without being overwhelmed, and helping me decide how to move forward. I embrace the uncertainties of my practice and allow the discoveries that happen through this to become part of the finished work.

I make my art a lifestyle and have learned that being enthusiastic about what interests me helps to create the environment that my work thrives in. I want to bring people into this world that excites and surrounds me and my art to show the value of curiosity and hard work.

Bienvenida runs at Six Foot Gallery from 23rd April – 15th May 2026. Connect with Amy over on Instagram.