::Background::

The magician fools the eye: while we are distracted by one thing, his sleight of hand reveals another. Cameras in themselves are a box of tricks and in his photographs, Amyx often uses flowers as props, mixing the brilliant color of exotic blooms with the stark depths of black and white photography. We are drawn to the splendor of the Amyx nude, but our eye is at first hypnotized by the patch of color, confusing our senses and drawing us as if spellbound into the photograph. Take the mauve orchid: it appears vibrant with life, but cut from its roots it is already dying, while the hand the bears it is ripe with throbbing existence. The golden-headed sunflower grows in the desert but if we cross that wasteland, it is the statuesque nude who will be waiting for us. The naked girl is the future, the sunflower a glimpse of something passing, unattainable. Doesn't the phallic lily remind us of our mission to procreate? And the bloom growing from the neat tucks and coils of a vagina reveal, inevitably, the girl's fertility, everything earthy, sensual, charged with the pleasures of living. Andy Amyx is drawn to the deep shadows and sharp contrasts of black and white, but has always been surrounded by color. Born in Houston Texas, he grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was influenced in his work by his mother, a reporter and photojournalist. He studied business and music at Tulane University in Louisiana. He intended carving a path on the music scene, but after moving to California became obsessed with magic. He took up performance as a hobby and now it's a career he runs in parallel with his devotion to photography. Andy Amyx has worked consistently to "hone in upon and refine" his vision. The female form has become the centerpiece of his art and his photographs have grown more mature, more reflective of the man himself. "My images are revelations of sexual power with the female body adorned and propped up as a pantheon of vibrancy and authority," he says. Amyx's photographs have been exhibited in several galleries such as Sumner & Dene, Kanouski Gallery, and The Photo Factory. His work has also been reproduced in numerous books and magazines including Italian Vogue and the San Diego Magazine.