AMELIA COWARD

Biography

Amelia Coward is a visual artist based in Whitstable, Kent, UK. She is renowned for her explorations into mixing, blending and grading colours, with a growing international profile. Born in 1975, she holds a 1st class Honours from Central St Martins and MA from the Royal College of Art. Her artworks can be found in both private and corporate collections worldwide.

Having received training based upon the colour theory teachings of Josef Albers, Amelia creates artworks that focus on the interaction of colours. Her works are carefully composed studies of spacial balance between geometric coloured elements such as circles and stripes. Influenced heavily by her woven textile training she uses laser cutters much the same way as she was trained to use a loom, cutting geometric shapes then reassembling them in patchwork compositions.Her works move dramatically from highly detailed dot pieces containing sometimes 1000’s of raised hand-painted dots to large scale striped pieces comprise of contrasting scales and bold clashing colours.

Located in a traditional Oast Barn in the Kent countryside, UK, Amelia combines her prolific making of new pieces with her commercial giftware business, Bombus. Each influences the other. Amelia has a team of creative makers in the studio to help to assemble, photograph, frame and pack all the works.

Artist Statement

"My practice is inspired by my intense impulse to reorder and control my world. This desire to control is combined with my wild impulse to marry and harmonise bold clashing blocks of colours. My focus is on the way the colours interact in intense macro shapes and the spaces created between the colours. Mathematical process is central to how my works take shape. I use a laser cutter to make precise geometric dots and stripes from the organic natural painted surface of soft birch wood. I allow the wood grain surface to shine through my carefully mixed paints, reassembling the cut wood shapes allowing the wood grain and my painted gradations of colour to continue to follow its natural pattern.

The process is an intense balance between physical motor skills and mental focus while allowing the color". - Amelia Coward

Education