Artist's Biography

Amy Flatten combines technical analysis and artistic intuition when creating her abstract pieces, as her years of scientific training inevitably inform her artwork. Her initial interest in math and science led her to earn a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Mechanics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. As her career progressed, her curiosity grew beyond photons, mechanics, and mathematical equations and she began to examine international science policy questions, serving nearly five years with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Today, she is the Director of International Affairs for a scientific organization in the D.C. area, where she develops international exchanges, collaborations, and partnerships with scientists around the globe.

As her scientific career expanded to include broader policy questions, she further challenged her creativity through art classes with the Art League of Alexandria. In these early classes, she was struck by the teachers’ references to “problem solving” when refining the aesthetic balance and structure in each art piece. Through art, she could now transition her math & science problem-solving skills to creating artistic abstractions of her everyday observations. She embraced the analytical challenge of problem-solving with line, color, and texture, instead of mathematical rigor. She begins her artwork intuitively. While supported by her analytical underpinnings, she allows herself to stray from any anticipated, or “scientifically hypothesized,” outcome when developing artistic solutions.

In addition to studying at the Art League of Alexandria, she exhibits her artwork in various venues throughout the D.C. area.