Amy-Claire Huestis takes a strongly historical approach to her work. She seeks to continue developing the visual language of the European representational tradition. For Amy, this requires not only study of the images but recreating drawing and painting practices and techniques. In particular, she finds the emotional depth and concentration on narratives of the domestic in works by Tiepolo, Daumier and the late Goya provide a fertile ground for contemporary concerns of gender, place and our relationship to the natural world.

In the sketches below, Amy draws on a Venetian tradition from the 16th and 17th centuries. The Italians often used watercolour pigments monochromatically. They found this technique useful for capturing figures, gestures, lines and shading. They would make preparatory sketches to help build up an idea or to capture a visual image, often for later use in large scale paintings. When preparing the drawings for this exhibit, Amy was fortunate to have the whole collection of Goya's Disasters of War etchings in her studio after an art collector friend lent them to her for three weeks. The sketches reflect Amy’s desire not only to emulate older traditions, but develop them in new directions and combine different styles.


Study for Hunters I, 2007
watercolour, 22 x 15 inches
Study after Giandomenico-Tiepolo
2007, watercolour, 15 x 11 inches
Study for Hunters III, 2007
watercolour, 22 x 15 inches


Study for Hunters IV, 2007
watercolour, 22 x 15 inches

Amy-Claire Huestis

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