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A typographic illustration featuring four rows of bold, colourful letters on a white background. The text reads “ITS NOT A CULT”, “TO CUT STALIN”, “ANTI CT O LUST” and “TAUTS IN CLOT”.

Amy Woodside creates beautiful prints in the tradition of the Pop Art greats

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Date
18 January 2013

New York dwelling New Zealander Amy Woodside is part visual artist, part romantic wordsmith. Her website is loaded with beautiful silkscreens of abstract letterforms and repeated words that recall the mixed media and pop art canvases of Ed Ruscha and Jasper Johns. Sandwiched between these striking, colourful creations are powerfully nostalgic poems that deal with Amy’s childhood, romances and existence in New York.

We’re not experts in poetry (I’ve unsuccessfully dabbled from time to time but prefer a novel) although we do know good visuals when we see them, and Amy’s prints are seriously good. It’s not simply the aesthetics we’re drawn to either, her understanding of language comes to bear on each of her pieces, either through visual wordplay or the use of letterforms as icons to communicate her message.

A painting of a blue and pink rectangular block on a white background. A thick, black spray-painted line cuts across the centre in a Y-shape.
Above

Amy Woodside: Hey

A typographic poster featuring eleven rows of bold, sans-serif text in alternating shades of blue, yellow and mint green. The letters form a dense grid of overlapping words, including “hurricane season”, “arsenic” and “sunrise”.
Above

Amy Woodside: Hurricane Season

A typographic poster featuring rows of red and blue capital letters on a light grey background. The text forms a grid of overlapping phrases, including “I AM AN AMERICAN” and “I AM A MAN IN A RACE”.
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Amy Woodside: I Am An American

A typographic poster featuring eight lines of bold, sans-serif text in pastel blue, pink, yellow and green. The letters are tightly packed and read “ITSNOTACULT”, “TOCUTSTALIN”, “ANTICTOLUST”, “TAUTSINCLOT”, “ACUNTLOSTIT”, “LUNATICTOTS” and “TOACTSUNLIT”.
Above

Amy Woodside: It’s Not A Cult

An abstract composition of bold yellow geometric shapes layered over a red rectangular background. The shapes form a sharp, angular arrangement resembling a stylised letter.
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Amy Woodside: Never

A graphic work featuring a large red circle layered over a yellow block letter “N”. A thick, black spray-painted line crosses through the centre of the composition.
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Amy Woodside: Not

An abstract graphic composition of overlapping geometric shapes in deep purple, orange and pale pink. The forms create a symmetrical, architectural shape resembling a stylized letter “M” or “X”.
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Amy Woodside: Vain

An abstract illustration of a large, pink letter “Y” set against a background of teal and blue geometric shapes. The composition is square and centered on a plain white page.
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Amy Woodside: Yikes

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About the Author

James Cartwright

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James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

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