Amy Ayanda has described her painting practice as a “necessity in her life”, having had a brush in hand from as early as two years old. Naturally, the work has evolved over time and the artist now centres her work around motifs of the flower as a memorial for loss, grief and how to honour these universal feelings. Recently, Amy has been collecting and studying flowers, carefully examining them in each of their phases; from new blossoms with vibrant colours to the inevitable withering of her subject. She finds beauty and meaning in each and every stage of their lifetime, through this she uses the flower as a metaphor to respond to the universal feelings of loss. Her style is loose and largely guided by an ‘instance’ – specifically in relation to how she uses colour. The artist has reflected on how her use of colour is dedicated to a feeling, a moment wherein a colour inspires her which is often immediate, abstract and playful.