Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Burkman.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in a small town in central California and I’ve loved art since I could hold a crayon. After years of working in various office positions, I realized I wanted to somehow become a professional artist and muralist. Shortly after I moved to Southern California I sent an email to a local muralist, Ron Juncal telling him that I wanted to learn the business and I was willing to work for free! He asked me to come meet him at his studio and I showed him the only thing I had, a few crumbled up papers with drawings that I did. He saw my potential and hired me a month later as a full time apprentice. I worked with Ron and his business partner, Phyllis Swanson where we painted murals and faux finish throughout San Diego county.
Eventually, the economy was suffering and work was slow so I started to work at office jobs to make steady money. During that time, my friend who was in the Peace Corps in West Africa said she had a dream of me coming there to paint murals in the village she was staying. So we started an initiative called Educate Through Art where we painted health-related and educational murals in different villages in Mali. It was that experience that helped me realize I wanted to do art to help others in some way. I was finally living my dream! Upon my return, I was asked to perform live art at the San Diego Zoo. A small group of artists would speed paint images of endangered and threatened species and educate the audience on why these animals needed our help. It was becoming more and more clear to me that this would be the way I would help others through art.
In 2014, all of that was put on hold when I was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer. After I had surgery and finished chemotherapy treatment, I decided I wanted to pursue my dream of doing art with a purpose full time. Since then, I’ve been able to raise over $250,000 for various non-profits and continue to seek opportunities where I can create art and give back.
Please tell us about your art.
I am a live art entertainer with a passion to help others, weather by donating a portion of my profits to charities or by spreading awareness and inspiring others. I’ve currently raised over $250,000 for charities and have a goal of reaching $1,000,000! I want to inspire others to follow their dreams, to help make the world a better place, to have compassion for all living things and add beauty to this world. The speed paintings are typically created in 3 -7 minutes to energetic music. It’s an unique experience for people to watch
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
My focus as an artist is more about how can I use art as a way to help others. What makes me feel like I have succeeded is being clear on what I want and what makes me happy, then working towards that and accomplishing goals. That is the definition of being successful to me. Separately. I like to create art pieces to allow my creative side to experiment and express myself. There’s a reward in that, but not necessarily monetarily. I also feel like I’m achieving something when my art piece moves someone and feels connected to it.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work by following me on social media to see where I’m performing next. They can also hire me to perform at their next event including, weddings, fundraisers, private parties and corporate events! I also create murals, pet portraits and create custom artwork as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amyburkman.com
- Phone: 7607101227
- Email: amy@liveartwithheart.com
- Instagram: Creativeaims
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeAims
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
