Characters and Memes: Art by Amber Petersen
Plant Love II, acrylic on canvas
Amber Petersen works as a mixed media artist as well as an actor, producer, and photographer. In her visual art practice, Amber utilizes neon-bright color schemes and thick, hard outlines to depict elements of pop culture, characters and memes in a recognizable yet unique format.
I like the way that Amber combines detailed renderings of characters -- both live-action and cartoon -- with abstracted backgrounds, swirling with color and lines that seem to sometimes reference street art, and sometimes other referential imagery. The references remind me of works by Yume, or Carly Jaye.
Amber's portfolio website, www.amberpetersen.ca
In her recent Boho series, Amber explores text and texture within the painted plane. Floral works feature backgrounds that are stylized with raised, same-colored patterns to create an almost fabric-like, embossed look. Other works are focused on a textual message, with central lettering a relatively simple, minimalist background. The tone of the imagery and text is one of carefree abandon, if imbued with an undercurrent that hearkens to current commercial trends.
