Artist in Residence - Issue Six

Amy Marques

Amy Marques grew up between languages and cultures and learned, from an early age, the multiplicity of narratives. She has published numerous short fiction, visual poetry, and art.

She is editor and artist of the Duets Anthologies, contributor to the Pride Roars collective, and associate fiction editor at Bending Genres. Her books include PARTS (erasure poetry book), collaborative works Are You Willing? and Neverafters, and the chapbook Foot Notes. Her next chapbook, Hissing in the Wind, with Alternating Current Press will be out next year.

  • I'm still learning to call myself an artist. I stumbled into it accidentally in 2022 or ‘23 when I started using paint and collage on book pages to create erasure/found poetry and ended up creating PARTS (a visual modification of Thomas Wolfe's 'A PARTY AT JACK'S'). That book was my crash course in visual art and I haven't stopped since!

  • I think of it as reverse ekphrastic! I love illustrating stories because (1) it gives me themes and ideas and vibes and stimulation to create visual art and (2) it has taught me to read differently. I am much more aware of imagery in stories now.

  • Sometimes (usually) when creating art for a full issue and/or book and/or any kind of collection or series, I try to use and reuse material. I frequently work with scraps and alternative paintbrushes (wadded toilet paper is a recurring favorite). For this series, I used only two brushes and added new/more paint, but didn't quite clean my working space until I was done. So the cover art was created with the residue of the work done throughout the issue and reflects the last colors and paint left when I was done. The image of the woman was what I saw after dabbing at the paper. So I traced what had naturally and organically emerged in the slotches (for me). Similar to erasure poetry, I enjoy "found images". I use the same principle with a base of gel plate or watercolor blots or, in this case, dabbed leftover paint.

  • Women seem to be a theme according to a review of PARTS. And details. Metaphors and the tiny, the overlooked, the overview.

    I also tend towards suggestion without too much detail - which I think is compatible with how both poetry and flash fiction work.

    I think my visual art, much like my writing, leaves a bit to the imagination.

  • Not really. I like using leftovers and creating from scraps.

    One of my favorite pieces (Tea Moon) was created using flower petals that had fallen, used/dry tea and coffee, green tops of strawberries I'd been eating when I started playing with the petals, and seeds. It happened almost by accident. After the picture was taken, all the parts ended up in the trash (except the wooden board, which my father gave me), but now a large print hangs in my living room. Another favorite was created using images of sidewalk accidental art (cracks and bird poop)!

    So I think my favorite medium is the idea of repurposing and finding beauty.

  • My favorite is creating visuals for stories!