Artist and art historian Amy Dyson emphasizes minimalism in her art. She has a preference for single brushstroke paintings and Ensō. Dyson's Zen approach is always "in the moment" and she often shares the origins of her techniques and methodologies to studio guests.
Adjacent to the gallery is Amy Dyson's art studio where guests may also view current works-in-progress. Dyson is honored to have studied with masters and adepts in multiple disciplines and has discovered a quiet path within. She conveys this serene energy within her art and a visit to her gallery & studios is always a relaxing experience.
Dyson is presently working on paintings, sculpture and works-on-paper for the upcoming 2022-23 season. A new exhibition will debut Dyson's current works in the gallery and will be announced in October 2022.
East Studio at One Zen Place
"My favorite time in the studio is when my husband, John Ryan, is playing piano because his original music deeply inspires me. When I listen to John's music, I am moved to create art. One of my most frequent chop-seals is engraved with the ideogram, 'Created with the music of John Ryan'. We have demonstrated our arts together in many live performances, but we are now opening our studios to the world as we progress to live-streaming podcasts from One Zen Place - Art and Music Studios."
Amy Dyson creates Enso every day in her studio at One Zen Place.
Washaway Enso
Amy Dyson enjoys the sunrise while drawing 'Washaway Enso' in the sand of Vero Beach in Florida.
Upper Paleolithic Research
Cave of Lascaux c.17,000 B.C.E.
Art Historian Amy Dyson
There are three kinds of people.
Those who see.
Those who see when they are shown.
Those that do not see.
—Leonardo Da Vinci
Portrait Discovery in Renaissance Painting
Art historian Amy Dyson discovers a portrait within a Renaissance painting by master Jacopo Tintoretto (1518 – 1594)
The large canvas (8' 10" x 7' 9"), which dates from the 1560-70's, depicts a central figure (Apollo or Hymen) crowning an androgynous figure while surrounded by several characters from mythology.
Tintoretto is one of the great masters of the mid-to-late 16th century Venice and this painting is a rare treasure to be found outside of Italy.
The subject of the painting has baffled art historians, but it seems likely that Apollo is depicted crowning a poet, who is shown holding a book.
Apollo encourages Horace to renounce worldly wealth, which explains why this figure is depicted in the painting trampling on golden caskets and coins. The figure of Hercules, with his lion skin and club, looms top left. Hercules was often represented as a protector of eloquence in contemporary texts.
The large die in the bottom right corner of the painting caught Dyson's eye because she had once found a similar-sized die washed up on a beach and took note that the number five was the same side facing forward as when she had originally seen the die on the beach.
Due to this unusual occurrence, Dyson's interest in the die was heightened and she explored it further. While contemplating the die and pondering its meaning within the painting—suddenly the face of a bearded man appeared. When Dyson discovered the hidden portrait within the die, she intuitively knew that it could be a portrait of the artist. Dyson then researched Tintoretto's self-portraits, where she found a distinct similarity in facial features.
Look closer at the image of a self-portrait by Tintoretto where the angular shape of his beard is noticeable. Compare this portrait with the portrait within the die. Even though at a slightly different angle, one can easily discern the similarities and there is definitely a resemblance between the two portraits. Tintoretto's recessed hairline, long nose and large eyes are characteristics that resemble each other in each painting. Additionally, one can see that the five dots on the die are not spaced equally as a normal die would be and one can clearly see the precise detail within the rest of the painting. Why else the offset five dots?
In 2010, experts lifted nearly 500 years of dirt, varnish and retouching. Now Tintoretto's painting has returned to its magnificent grandeur, which allowed more in-depth professional analysis and it was then firmly established that the painting was painted by the master Tintoretto. The painting has been renamed, ‘Apollo Crowning a Poet and Giving Him a Consort’, and hangs in the dining room at Kingston Lacy estate. It is remarkable in that it is one of the few Tintoretto paintings to be held outside Italy.
Ten years after making the discovery of the artist's portrait within the die in the Tintoretto painting, Dyson told the story to audiences accompanied by photographic images on a large digital screen. Each audience immediately saw Tintoretto's portrait in the die and their astonishment was both visible and audible. Many remarked that once you see it, the portrait becomes even more visibly apparent. Do you see a Tintoretto portrait within the die in the painting?
A notable fact that is part of the equation is when Dyson found the original die on the beach in another country, she was in the act of saving a human life. Was this apparent coincidence somehow relative to her discovery within the Tintoretto painting?
In summary, Dyson does not believe in ostensible coincidences—but does believe in synchronicity. Dyson has combined consciousness, neuroscience, physics and etiology to better study these perceptions with comprehensive research exploring the scientific qualities of human experience.