Amy B. Trosino

Fix That Wounded Planet, 2004, mixed media

Trosino considers this piece the epitome of her entire body of work from 2004-2008. "It captures and contains the meaning of every piece I did for the next four years although I considered it a solitary piece at the time and nothing more.  Looking back on this body of work and knowing the challenges I faced, it's very easy for me to see the truth behind Fix That Wounded Planet: that I underwent a transformation of the mind and spirit in order to achieve harmony and provide that harmony to others."

Child in the Lotus, 2004, graphite pencil

In her 2005 show, Emergence, Trosino described her creative and personal development of the past decade:

"...I began not not knowing anything, and ten years later my only certainty is that all is transformation, an undecipherable code, a grand mystery. I am only a small part of the design and value my place in it.  It is a privilege to be here, and I accept the terms wholeheartedly without fully understanding why.  To go through this life honestly, at a pace meant for each of us, is our common bond.  Through my work I wish to bring to the surface a seemingly hidden part of the great design.  It is not meant to be a mystery but a reality for us all."

Child in the Lotus illustrates this statement as the central figure emerges from a mysterious place that has been brought forth for the viewer to contemplate and understand.

Anatomicae Euphoria, 2008, mixed media

In this drawing, Trosino wanted to depict the human body's natural ability to combat a mental, physical, or emotional disease on a cellular level.  She states, "I wanted to give the illusion of looking through a microscope and seeing a beautiful and healthy organism working to fight an illness.  This illness, depicted in black colored pencil, is overshadowed by a hard working organism whose bright colors symbolize its curative properties."

On the Active Side, 2004, ballpoint pen

For Trosino, this drawing marked the beginning of exploring the emotional and physical aspects of the human heart. This theme, made obvious by the traditional heart shape, would later be explored in various styles and central to many works.

Silentry, 2008, mixed media

This drawing was the centerpiece for Trosino's exhibition, Silentry, held at Adrian College's Heritage Gallery in 2008.  "After three years of working with silence, both forced and encouraged, I ironically began this drawing while waiting to be picked up at a busy airport in Kentucky.  I found the timing and place to be completely contradictory to the drawing itself-something that continues to surprise me to this day.  Originally, this was meant to be a tree, but later it evolved as a root....a root in space where all is simultaneously quiet and active...internally and externally, absent from and of this world...beyond this world and into others.  This drawing is the culmination of the working silence evolving into a catalyst for a whole new way of creating and being.  It is a process that all of us, on some level, undergo many times in our lifetimes."  

In the Still Space Waiting, 2004, graphite pencil

This drawing is the prelude to Trosino's turning point piece, Emergence.  Here, she reflects on what it means to be on the brink of a new beginning and the necessity of discovering its truth and message through space and silence.

Emergence, 2005, graphite pencil

This is Trosino's favorite piece to date.  When asked why, she replied, "This drawing marked the transition from traditional illustrator to fine artist.  The planning and guidelines that are routine in the illustration field were put on hold in order to explore something more spontaneous, subconscious, and organic.  Emergence marked the beginning of this kind of process.  While working on this piece, I became aware of opposite extremes making their way through my thoughts and fingers....control and surrender, defiance and compliance, hope and fear, peace and frustration.   The raw instinct which was cultivated and nurtured through Emergence soon became consciously partnered with my technical skills as an illustrator; paving a new way for me to not only create art but to live life."

The Return, 2008, graphite pencil

This piece was created while Trosino was teaching a beginning onsite drawing class.  "As the children were sketching various plants and birds, I took a scrap sheet of paper and drew the essence of the willow tree we were all sitting under.  I was interested in its place in nature and how it came into being.  The central subject in this piece (what always strikes me as a kind of 'root') remained sketchy in its rendering while its surrounding environment had a smoother, more finished feel.  One of the things I like most about this drawing are the small objects, animals, and natural elements that can be found in the root.  This wasn't intentional.  Rather, they emerged as a pleasant gift to be discovered after the drawing was complete."

The Longest Night, 2008, graphite pencil

This piece, measuring 6x8 inches, took Trosino a full nine months to complete.  When asked for the reason for taking so long on a small piece, she replied, "It was, by far, the most challenging piece of my career because my life was in such a state of flux.  I had been uprooted from everything I believed and known, and was no longer the person I had been up to that point.  Therefore, a rebirth was in order, and just like the normal gestation period for an infant, it had taken me nine months to become the person I was meant to be for my next stage in life.  This drawing acted as a tool for a meditation and process that would eventually lead me to a new and enlightened way of being.  Once there, a new artistic endeavor and path would emerge..."