Miami's CanvasRebel: "Meet Amy Schissel"
We were lucky to catch up with Amy Schissel recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
I was raised on a farm in Canada, with parents who both appreciated, supported, and practiced various art forms. Particularly, I grew up around my mother’s painting studio, attending her openings, and workshops alongside her. She was (and still is) a professional artist, always painting, and nourishing creativity in me and my siblings since we were small. I learned color theory from her as a child, and she taught me more advanced ways of making as I developed in skill. Similarly, my father was very musical…we grew up singing with a banjo, mandolin, keyboard, saxophones, and several guitars. Music was part of daily life alongside the family farming business. From him, I developed music appreciation early on, and in fact, started out my undergraduate education in Jazz Saxophone before switching into the Painting Program at the University of Ottawa in Ontario. My parents always supported me in any artistic endeavor throughout my academic career, and when we see each other these days, we still play music, and have painting sessions. I believe the arts will always be a part of ‘family’ life, and my parents continue to impact my dedication to the arts today.
