Amy Laskin
Artist Bio Artist Work
Amy Laskin's interest in art began at a young age. Her parents enthusiastically sought to foster her talent and somehow at the age of seven, they got her enrolled in the adult art classes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After classes as she poured through the museum's collections, the world of art captured her imagination, and as the years went on, higher aspirations developed.
Laskin received her BFA from the Pennsylvania State University and went on to receive her MFA from (SAIC) The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The years she spent in Chicago had a huge influence on her artistic development. In the decade before, the " Chicago Imagists" and the "Imagist " movement exploded on the art scene and took the city by storm. It was a very exciting and motivating force in Chicago's art history. After her studies, her work took a new turn. She sought to make beautiful, exotic, and unusual images which were carefully executed with precision and detail. She married these influences with the imagery she would find in Jamaica.
In 1986, Laskin arrived in Jamaica with a three year contract as a Peace Corps volunteer. She found that the lush and varied tropical vegetation and voluminous mountain ranges captivated her attention and would serve as a never ending source of inspiration. Therefore, she moved straight to the rural Blue Mountains and made Jamaica her permanent home. Since 1989 to the present day, art making has been her sole pursuit and lifelong ambition. Her work has both an imaginary and realistic quality that awakens us to the sublime.
The giclee print is a high resolution digital photograph or scan of an original painting. It is color corrected to get exact accuracy of the original, and printed with an inkjet printer, using archival pigmented inks, on various substrates. In this case canvas. The term "giclee print" connotes an elevation in printmaking technology. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction. The quality is higher and the lifespan is longer. Each of these prints are signed by the artist.
Education
1979 M.F.A., The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
1977 B.F.A., The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA
Collections
The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art, Collegeville, PA
The Bank of Jamaica, Permanent
Art Collection, Kingston Jamaica
Honorable Late Prime Minister Michael Manley
Luciano Benetton Collection
Imago Mundi
French Ambassador Jamaica
Various private collections internationally
Solo Exhibitions
2019
Carl Hammer Gallery, Come as You Are”, Chicago, Illinois
2017
“Super Natural”, French Embassy Jamaica
2013
Carl Hammer Gallery, “Garden Goddess”, Chicago, Illinois
2002
Olympia Art Center Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
1999
Chelsea Gallery, “New Works”, Kingston, Jamaica
1998
Chelsea Gallery, “Next Steps”, Kingston, Jamaica
1997
Chelsea Gallery, “Realizations”, Kingston, Jamaica
1996
Chelsea Gallery, “Jamaican Earth”, Kingston, Jamaica
1995
Chelsea Gallery, “New Oils”, Kingston, Jamaica
1994
Chelsea Gallery, “Double Vision”, Kingston, Jamaica
1993
Chelsea Gallery, “Jamaica Botanica”, Kingston, Jamaica
1992
Chelsea Gallery, “Jungle Series”, Kingston, Jamaica
1991
Chelsea Gallery, “Snap Out of It” Kingston, Jamaica
Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus, Collegeville, PA
1989
Bolivar Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019
Copro Gallery/ Hyperrealism Magazine “Toward New Ways”, Santa Monica, CA
2018
Carl Hammer Gallery, “ Freshly Picked” group show, Chicago, IL
2017
Biennial - Invited Artist National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Carl Hammer Gallery, Group Show, Chicago, Illinois
2016
Armory Show – Carl Hammer Gallery, NY, NY
Carl Hammer Gallery, Group Show, Chicago, Illinois
2015
National Gallery of Jamaica; Explorations 111, Work of Seven Women, Kingston, Jamaica
Expo Chicago: Carl Hammer Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois
2014
Biennial - Invited Artist National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
2013
Armory Show 2013 Carl Hammer Gallery, NY, NY
Carl Hammer Gallery Group Show, Chicago, Illinois
2012
Biennial- Invited artist, National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Carl Hammer Gallery Group Show, Chicago, Illinois
2011
The Mutual Gallery, “The Real and the Imaginary”, Kingston, Jamaica
2010
Biennial - Invited Artist National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Revolution Gallery, “Feminine Rising”, Kingston, Jamaica
2008
Biennial - National Gallery of, Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Gallery 128, “Journeys”, Kingston, Jamaica
2007
Island Art Gallery, “Color My Mood”, Kingston, Jamaica
2006
The Olympia Art Centre Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
Biennial - The National Gallery ofJamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
The Art Effects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2005
The Olympia Art Centre Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
2004
The Art Effects Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Bolivar Gallery, “Eight of the Great”, Kingston, Jamaica
2003
The Olympia Art Centre Gallery, Kingston, Jamaica
2003
The Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show, Philadelphia, PA
2001
The Olympia Art Centre Gallery, Kingston. Jamaica
1999
“Jamaica Blue”, London, England
1998
Jorge Sori Gallery, Miami, Florida
1995
Bianco Gallery; New Hope, PA
1994
Woodmere Art Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA (awarded prize)
1993
Stendahl Gallery, “Black and Red”, Soho, NY
Woodmere Art Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA
1992
Salena Gallery, “From Jamaica to Brooklyn”, Long Island University, NY
Annual Exhibition - National Gallery of Jamaica; Kingston, Jamaica
1991
Owen Patrick Gallery, Manayunk, PA
1990
Chelsea Gallery, “Floral Exhibition and Works by Women”, Kingston, Jamaica
Chelsea Gallery, Illumination, Landscape, Kingston, Jamaica
1989
Annual Exhibition - National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Annual Exhibition - National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
Other
2012
10 Days in Jamaica Ifeona Fulani
The Caribbean Writer Volume 26