Amy Nieto-Cruz is a color and flower-obsessed artist drawing from her Puerto Rican heritage to create vibrant paintings with acrylic, watercolor, and gouache.
Based in Portland, Oregon, she received her B.F.A. from Savannah College of Art and Design. After two decades working in photography, running a backpack design company, and curating art and craft shows, she returned to drawing and painting in 2021. Currently, she is a vendor at the long-standing Portland Saturday Market where she sells a rotation of original work.
Amy's goal is to experiment with oil paints and build a robust, prolific creative practice.
"My work is about converting resilience into joy. Essentially, I cry a lot in my flower garden and then I make vibrant art. I tend to paint in intuitive maximalism where my real challenge is knowing when a flower has enough character. I am inspired by sunlight shining through petals in the summer light and the different shapes a flower takes as it moves in the wind. I ground these chaotic florals by applying formal color theory practices. My paintings begin with body movement, journaling, reviewing sketchbooks, and setting intention, finished by a written exit reflection. I use various media to tap into different wells of intuition: water-based (watercolor and gouache), oil pastel, color pencil, and acrylics." |
Media: Acrylic | Watercolor | Other
Studio Number: 56
Address: 304 SE 22nd Ave Portland OR 97214
Community: SE Portland
Accessibility: Not Wheelchair accessible (One short step to enter studio/garage)
Email: amynieto@gmail.com
Website: littlebrightstudio.com
Instagram: @littlebrightstudio
