Printmaking

Bio

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Amy Torgeson is an artist working in printmaking and collage. She loves the collaborative relationship between both methods; printmaking provides material for collage, and the layering and multi-dimensional qualities of collage make their way back into her printmaking. Her studio practice is focused on process and experimentation and she likes to see evidence of the process in the final work. “I’m hoping to capture a sense of being in the middle of things, of coming upon a work when there’s still potential, when the thing is still alive and unfinished. That’s the most exciting moment to me, when I’m in the middle of making.” Amy loves stories, writing and words but was ultimately a frustrated writer. Her love of typography (the shapes not the nomenclature) serves as an important starting point for much of her work. Amy spent ten years teaching writing and art to college students, with arts organizations and in after school programs. Today, she hosts art workshops in her studio in Sausalito, providing an intimate space for creative flow and connection. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children.

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Statement

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Process is central to the work I make. My process is largely intuitive and focuses on a mix of constraints and improvisation. I find inspiration from working with a limited set of tools and materials and the innumerable ways those materials and tools can be used and reimagined. I’m drawn to low-tech methods because they are accessible and approachable, which are two values I hope come through in the work. Typography continues to serve as a starting point for exploring abstraction. It provides the structure I’m seeking while the process remains open and exploratory. Though I work with recognizable letters and numbers, I'm interested in abstracting these shapes and focusing on the direct experience of pattern, line, shape and color.