Page 115 - K9 News - Issue 15 - March2021

small pops of sky blue and orange. I work in patchy
splashes of black ink and acrylic paints layered
together with pen to immortalise my animal muses
on a variety of surfaces. I love working from ‘candid’
photographs where a dogs character comes through
- a wonky brow, a sloppy side lip, some stinking
side eyes or the biggest panting smile. These kind
of photographs jerk a reaction in me to paint them,
ultimately ending up with a portrait that makes you
feel something.

I opened my first solo exhibition in the Kennel Club
Gallery in Mayfair last year. Due to Covid they still
hang there to this date. The exhibition came about
via a friend, Heidi, who is a photographer at the
Kennel club. We met when she photographed me at
Discover dogs while I was competing in the Junior
handling finals in 2008. Heidi and I have a shared
loved for William Wegman - every Weimaraner
owner should know him for his photography art
based solely around his four legged greys. To
me, he strongly portrays how the Weimaraner is a
human in a dog shaped body.

Life as an artist is fantastic and challenging in equal measures. The freedom of being able to wake
up and feed my creativity every single day is so rewarding. I ship art works internationally, have been
featured in magazines here and across the pond,
and this year I cross my fingers tightly that I’ll be
able to exhibit and live paint at some huge events
across the UK. I have collaborations lined up
within the dog world that I am so looking forward
to putting together.

Without Weimaraners, without my hobby within
the show world and without the support from all
the dog people I’ve met along the way, there is no
way I would be where I am today.

Please contact me to discuss commissions and
collaborations

www.amybalch.com

@amy_balch_artist

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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / MARCH 2021