Artist Bio:
Amita Aung-Thwin is a contemporary abstract painter from Honolulu, Hawaii. Her love affair with the arts started as a child, where she spent hours drawing, painting, and creative writing. Over the years, her focus shifted away from creative pursuits. However, in 2013 she experienced a shift and re-discovered her love for art after she started practicing yoga. As her yoga practice deepened, she felt led to explore her creativity and spirituality. In 2018, she started exhibiting and going deeper into her art practice.
Her artwork has been shown in exhibitions in the U.S. and India, including, “Sangam” the exhibition from her 2019 residency in Rishikesh, India. In the U.S. she has exhibit in various group exhibitions in California and Hawaii, including Abstract Only! A juried art competition in Hilo, Hawaii, and the Angel Open, a juried exhibition in Los Angelos. Her work has been published in Exhibit zone and Artistonish magazine. She is also a founding member of the Elders Collective, a recently-formed international artist collective. She describes her artist journey as transformative and healing. She currently works to support community housing initiatives and believes art can be one of the most powerful vehicles to transform and heal both individuals and communities.
Artist Statement:
My journey as an artist can only be described as an incredible adventure, a roller coaster of highs and lows, but despite the moments of chaos and confusion, I can’t imagine my life without my art practice.
My art practice has been such an important transformative part of my life since I found my way back to it in 2018. Prior to that, I was honestly a little lost. I had forgotten about my love for creating, and the artist in me that had flourished as a child. Reconnecting to my inner artist has been a form of healing, and a release of creative energy that's brought me closer to who I really am. I've realized that my art practice is intensely spiritual, and that my higher self (source, universe there are many names for it) is speaking through these abstract expressions and symbols.
Through the process of creating a piece, a message, a lesson, or a theme will emerge. It’s usually guidance coming from a source beyond myself. I’ve realized that the creative process really has the power to heal and transform, and that there are infinite possibilities when we're aligned and connected to our true selves. This realization has been freeing. We can create a life filled with passion and purpose, we can release ourselves from our programmed limiting beliefs and choose how we want to live our lives.
Many of the messages that come through in my art are related to the freedom in authenticity and connecting to our true selves. Sometimes sharing these very personal messages can be challenging, but it has become clear that I need to share my art, story, and messages. In this time of disconnection & division, I hope it reaches and resonates with whoever it’s meant to connect with.
My work is primarily abstract acrylic. I like to play with different textures and methods. I have fun with texture and love how much it can completely transform a piece; add so much depth and make it more interesting. I need to feel free when creating, so for me there’s no formal process, but just getting grounded, centered, and having the mind-set of being open to play and exploration puts me in the creative state. If I have trouble focusing or getting grounded, the process of prepping the canvas, picking the colors, and taking a big brush or pallet knife and jumping right in is enough to get into the flow state. Each piece is its own adventure, just like each day. This free-flowing style, with all its ups and downs and twists and turns, allows me to capture the magic of trusting the process.
