Dan's Cover Artist Amy Zerner Discusses 'The Dancer'

This week’s graceful cover comes to us from East Hampton artist/author/designer of spiritual couture Amy Zerner. Here, she discusses the creation of “The Dancer,” her many ongoing projects and her induction into the Hamptons Artists Hall of Fame at the 2024 Hamptons Fine Art Fair, July 11–14.

A Conversation with Amy Zerner

What inspired the creation of your “The Dancer” artwork, and what themes did you intend to explore with it?

“The Dancer” is one of the mixed-media collage pieces I created for The Wild Goddess Oracle (Quarto Books), a collaboration with my husband, Monte Farber, who wrote the text. She is one of the 52 goddesses that I portrayed for this project.

She dances and transforms energy into a pulsing ode to the Moon. She holds up her private star, a reflection of the larger one, to be consecrated in the moonlight that emerges as the sun sets. As an artist, she seeks to absorb that liberating feeling of other places, times, and worlds, and interpret it to her audience as she dances. It is how she celebrates life. The moon, an ancient symbol of Woman, is completely full. An intense awareness prevails and a feeling of power and completion. But there is more than fantasy here. Ancient as well as modern, the dancer is Diana, the most independent goddess, discovered in a private ceremony rejoicing in her own power.

She represents a time of hope, when we should enjoy and appreciate all the beautiful and bountiful gifts of nature, the blooming and greening of the earth — now more than ever.

A goddess lives in tune with nature and dances to its changes and cycles. She explores her inner world and taps into her spiritual strengths and mystical powers. She is always learning and growing and realizes that her gratitude and attitude toward life are connected to the wellbeing of her mind, body and spirit. Her wisdom can help others grow, too.

What did the creation process of this collage entail, and how did you determine what materials would best suit this piece?

In my collage process, the image is found in the process, built up by bits and pieces. I like to work with multiple design layers, blended together. I directly assemble the image on a painted or created background, choosing from my vast collection of elements, materials and techniques. I search through my stash of papers, materials, images and ephemera for a particular color and texture — different areas are embraced in different ways. Some are painted while others are alternately lavishly embellished or cut up and used to produce a contrasting area to that elaboration.

How has the East Hampton area and its arts community influenced you and the art you create?

We live in a beautiful area. How special it is to live in this community of creatives where so much inspiration and culture is shared. I have lived here since 1967 and truly love it. Not to mention all the magical treasures that I have found in our town’s thrift shops and flea markets over the years that I incorporate into my art!

I am inspired by the changing seasons here, the great air, sky and water. When we drive by and see the swans in our town pond in East Hampton, it is just so lovely. I could fill a book with the amazing people I’ve known out here. Fellow artists who have chosen the creative path in life, as I have.

What does it mean to you to be inducted into the Hamptons Artists Hall of Fame this summer?

I’m so excited to be inducted into the Hamptons Artists Hall of Fame this year at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair, along with Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, William Dickey King, Connie Fox, Bill Tarr and Herman Cherry on Saturday, July 13. There will be a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Each year they recognize a handful of respected and accomplished East End–based artists (both living and posthumously.) The purpose of the HOF is to highlight, as well as to invite, a rediscovery for those esteemed local artists who may not have fully received the national fame and recognition they deserve. So, I am very honored that I was chosen to be a part of this.

Would you like to share any closing thoughts or information about your upcoming exhibitions/projects?

We just had The Crystal Spirit Talking Board: A Spiritual Power Tool for Light Workers published by REDFeather. Our specialty is designing ways to communicate with your intuitive inner world, as well as with the universe and the spirit world. Our home is adorned with marvelous crystals in every room, and we love to gaze at them as well as use them in our sacred ritual practice.

Monte and I also just finished our Vision Board Oracle for Insight Editions, which comes out in January 2025. Vision board crafting is a fun and powerful process for manifestation, and this project means so much to us. And when you think about it, my collages are super visionary boards! Insight Editions publishes work about Harry Potter, Star Wars, Dune and many other popular iconic themes, and we are now their Mind/Body/Spirit artist/author. My 2025 Enchanted Worlds Calendar is also available.

I will have work included in the summer show at NoFo Art Collective in Greenport and will have a special event with the Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons in Bridgehampton. And I continue to show my couture fashions at Bergdorf Goodman in their Evening Department, where I have been for 24 years.

Our 60-minute documentary Amy & Monte: A Legacy of Love and Creativity is almost complete, after two years of filming segments, editing interviews and combing through archives with our amazing producer/director Annmarie Sairrino of AMMO Entertainment. We are grateful to our wonderful friends who supported and participated.

To see more of Amy Zerner’s work, visit amyzerner.net. For more information about the Hamptons Fine Art Fair’s 2024 event and Hamptons Artists Hall of Fame, visit hamptonsfineartfair.com.