Plumbing the rhythms of the ocean and marine life, Amy Genser creates undulating abstractions that evoke swells, currents, reefs, and the sea floor. The artist composes elaborate wall works from rolled mulberry paper, acrylic, and wire in which patterns move and converge across swaths of blues and greens. The closer you look, the more colors emerge.
Although reminiscent of the sea in many ways, Genser’s works defy instant recognition. At first glance, they may appear topographical, as if a luminous, clear sea is being viewed from above. The rolling forms are redolent of waves but also perhaps the way corals cluster around rock formations. Then, details draw us nearer: bulbous forms with cavities resemble barnacles, and extended shapes could be tentacles.
The artist’s play on scale, texture, pattern, and depth draw us in and keep us guessing—not unlike the many enigmas of the ocean itself. And one recent project challenged Genser to work at a monumental scale. The Macallan, a single malt Scottish whisky company, commissioned her to create a monumental piece titled “Stars Below” for its Carta Nautica Collection.
Both the bottle release and the artwork celebrate the time-honored transatlantic journey of the wooden barrels used to age the spirit, which travel to Scotland from Spain and the U.S. “Through layered textures, flowing forms, and rich colors, I brought to life a mythical underwater world shaped by movement, discovery, and transformation,” Genser says.
See more on the artist’s Instagram.
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