Amy Odlum is an Edinburgh-based figurative artist. She graduated with first-class honours from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design and was awarded the Delia Baillie Student Prize, the Society of Scottish Artists New Graduate Award and the RSA John Kinross Art Scholarship to Florence. Since graduating she has received the J & W Gordon Smith Award and the From Now Mentoring Award for her work in the SSA 126th Annual Exhibition.
With an ongoing pursuit of capturing the intricacies and ambivalence of mortality, Amy explores the complexities of the human condition through portraiture. This series offers a reminder of the fragility of human life and is based upon the consequential distress brought on by her father’s terminal illness. The delicate approach of her oil paintings allows for contemplation and conversation that is seldom spoken out loud.
The series title “Valediction” derives from the poem by Louis MacNeice of the same title, which describes The Troubles in Northern Ireland; being that the subject was raised in Omagh. This series reflects the relationship between a father and daughter who attempt to comprehend the act of bidding farewell.
