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About Tricksters

Who is that character popping up in so much of Amy’s designs?

You may notice the trickster images on many of Amy’s surface designs.  She has been working with narratives for over thirty years.  They have taken many forms.  She works with myths and fairy tales drawn from a variety of cultures.  She’s painted them on wooden boxes and created them in clay.  By far, her favorite is the “trickster” character.

Found in almost every culture, the trickster is one who crosses boundaries, breaks the rules (and makes them), is playful, clever, and almost always a trouble-maker.  The trickster can be both the messenger of the “gods” as well as the “wise fool.”  He is entertaining while sacred.  We always recognize ourselves in the trickster and mostly, we learn from the trickster tales…no matter how many times we hear them.  We’ve met him as the Raven, Coyote, Bart Simpson, Anansi, the Road Runner, and the Monkey King.  Over time I’ve developed a particular visual interpretation of the Trickster.  Some see him as a rabbit, some as a coyote.  He absolutely carries a ‘tude.  Ask us which story she had in mind when designing your favorite piece, as that is often the case.

We’ll be posting some of our favorite trickster stories in the future.