Amy Wilson, The Dusty Lens
Artist Statement
“I was a daddy’s girl. There was adventure and a untamed toughness about him. He owned a construction company for nearly 60 years and he often tore down and remodeled old buildings. In the summer, when he went to a job site, he’d let me tag along, too. I was about 14 when I got my first camera; I often studied a National Geographic magazine for hours, imagining where I could go and what I could see, and what could come home with me on a reel in a metal box. But, in the meantime, I had to stick close to home, and explore what I could. Daddy let me explore those old places that appeared to have lost all life, but I saw them much differently. I saw stories. I got my hands dirty, and I got to see what torn apart looks like, and what well again looks like, when it’s painted up real nice and when it isn’t. I saw stories in both, and depending on how you’re looking at it, there’s heartache in one, and a whole lot of happiness in the other. It’s amazing how not so human things can suddenly seem very human.
As I got older, I traveled and researched and documented wherever I went. I guess you could say I’m a little National Geographic all my own. I still go around looking for
old, worn down things to shoot, and I feel that incredible sense of curiosity and wonder again. Sometimes I go looking for stories, and sometimes stories find me. My business card says “Adventure Photographer” and I should probably add “Story Teller”.
I was born in northern Oklahoma and gypsied around the country until I settled down in OKC almost two years ago. I have two daughters, two cats, one dog, and a camera.”
Amy is a member of the Professional Photographer’s Association, and Oklahoma Visual Artists Coalition.
Her images have been featured on Oklahomatoday.com, Port Aransas Island Jetty and at Paseo Gallery One as the guest artist for December 2016.
@amywhatchagonnado
Amy's work was featured in our 2017 Inaugural Group Exhibition, February - May, 2017. Some of her prints are for sale in the Art Hall.
