This work intertwines decay and renewal, presenting the skeletal remains of a deer merging seamlessly with the surrounding woodland. The watchful eyes embedded in the trees transform the forest into a living presence, both guardian and witness to the endless cycle of life and death. Loizou draws attention to nature’s duality—its eerie stillness and its quiet vibrancy—inviting viewers to reflect on the inevitability of transformation and the hidden consciousness within the natural world.

Recess Negative marks a pivotal moment in Amy Loizou’s artistic journey, representing her first bold exploration of vibrant colour and large-scale expression. Created during lockdown, a time when isolation tested her mental resilience, this piece channels a manic-like energy—reflecting a fractured, glitching reality inspired by a distorted reflection in a mirror. (Loizou later attributed this vision partly to caffeine and her unsettled mental state.) Bursting with vivid colours and energetic brushstrokes, Recess Negative embodies a moment of creative freedom amid confinement, highlighting the profound influence of environment on artistic expression. Loizou layered chalk over flat acrylic paint to add depth and texture. The fluid chalk lines accentuate the distorted faces, intensifying the sense of fractured perception and emotional turmoil. At the center, a distorted figure wrestles with two opposing personalities—like angel and devil figures watching over—symbolising an internal struggle and the complexities of identity during a turbulent mental state. This work not only documents Loizou’s personal experience of lockdown mania but also signifies the beginning of her embrace of bold colour as a powerful vehicle for emotional release and artistic growth.

This work embodies a visceral exploration of insecurity and the fracturing of self and identity. The distorted face seems to tear apart from within, its jagged, bared teeth revealing something raw and unsettling—an element Loizou herself resists or finds uncomfortable. Swirling streams of colour amplify the sense of internal disintegration, blurring the line between beauty and disturbance. The result is a portrait of vulnerability laid bare, where the act of falling apart becomes both subject and surface.

This work draws inspiration from fantasy literature, where imagined worlds become a lens for exploring timeless themes of connection and renewal. Loizou’s long-standing love of colour comes to the forefront, infusing the composition with a sense of enchantment and vitality. The figures, treated in a more dimensional and otherworldly way, embody love, movement, and fluid energy—dancing through a luminous space that feels both intimate and expansive.

Inspired by natural processes such as cellular structures, mitosis, and the cycles of life, this work explores themes of growth, development, and evolution. Loizou captures an uncanny dimension to nature’s beauty, balancing wonder with an eerie, almost otherworldly atmosphere. The piece reflects both the fragility and the resilience inherent in the patterns that govern life itself.

DIn this work, Loizou continues her exploration of distorted, contorted figures, experimenting with different styles and mediums to expand her visual language. She finds beauty in the unconventional—embracing the strange, the awkward, and the imperfect. Whether through painting or figurative form, her practice celebrates imperfection as an essential part of what makes something truly compelling. The figure in Pearls twists into an almost impossible form, adorned with strands of luminous beads and framed by stars. A red demon lingers just behind, its gaze fixed upon her with an unsettling presence. Rather than a straightforward menace, the demon becomes ambiguous—offering a sense of temptation, judgment, or perhaps protection. Its watchful eyes amplify the tension between beauty and distortion, glamour and decay, vulnerability and power.

Taking her enduring love for colour into the realm of landscapes marks a recent shift in Loizou’s practice. In this body of work, she seeks to highlight the inherent vibrancy of the natural world while also imagining possibilities of colour that extend beyond human perception—landscapes that suggest a reality richer, deeper, and more infinite than we can comprehend.

Inspired in part by the song Desire Lines by Lush, this piece explores the sensation of emotional drowning—an overwhelming stillness beneath the surface, looking up toward the sky through water. Loizou captures the strange serenity in that in-between space, where light bends and time seems to slow. The title carries layered meaning. In geography, “desire lines” refer to the unofficial paths people carve through landscapes—routes of instinct, chosen over design. Loizou uses this as a metaphor for the emotional pathways we take, particularly those led by longing, habit, or unresolved connection. These invisible tracks—formed through repetition—reflect the quiet persistence of desire, even when it leads us to difficult places. The influence of Lush’s shoegaze atmosphere is present in the painting’s dreamlike quality—fluid, refracted, and ambiguous. There’s no clear direction, only the sense of being suspended between clarity and collapse. Loizou captures that emotional in-between space—where the subconscious drifts, weightless, chasing light that always seems just out of reach. Desire Lines invites viewers to reflect on the paths they’ve taken, the ones they’ve resisted, and the beauty found in moments of surrender.