Local Spotlight: Amy Bradford

Amy Bradford is drawing the ABC’s of Saco.

The 2023 Thornton Academy graduate is creating a 26-piece post card series. Each postcard is an original piece of art representing a letter of the alphabet and depicting a piece of Saco.

She hasn’t fleshed out the entire alphabet yet, but so far, she has pieces representing Dyer Library, Thornton Academy, as well as local businesses, historical buildings, and public outdoor spaces.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Bradford.

The A card has a drawing of the Amos Chase House, a home in Saco that dates back to the 1700s. In the background is a faint shadow of a church, representing Chase’s role as a church deacon. The V card depicts Saco Bay Variety, with owner Sonny Cimenian holding a pizza. The B card shows Ferry Beach State Park, with a boardwalk down to the beach.

For each card, Bradford said she starts with a rough sketch, then fine-tunes it and applies an acrylic wash. The picture is filled in using markers, then more details and dimension are layered on with a colored pencil. A fine-tip pen is used to outline and a gel top pen to add highlights.

“It’s a multi-step process,” she said.

Bradford said she’s been creating art “since forever.” The postcard series stemmed from a project she was assigned in an art class while a senior in Thornton Academy. She produced a portfolio of works that told her life story through illustrations done in the style from children’s books she had read.

“It was really fun. I got to do a lot of research into different illustrators and artists and I got to analyze the books I read as a kid,” said Bradford. “I’d been interested in children’s book illustrations for a while… I’d like to do more of that kind of art and maybe get published someday.”

 Bradford is a student at UMaine Orono studying anthropology and minoring in medieval renaissance studies. Creating the postcards not only feeds her interest in art but also her interest in cultural anthropology, as she’s able to show the culture of the city through her pictures.

“I really like all the interaction of history, art and culture and how art reflects different cultures from different times,” she said.

While Bradford has lived in Maine for about 15 years, she is technically “from away,” having been born in Massachusetts. She said leaving Saco to go to school in Orono has given her a greater appreciation for the city, and the postcard project has made her feel more connected.

“When people ask me where I’m from, I used to say I’m from Massachusetts, but now I say I’m from Saco,” she said.

Bradford’s postcards can be purchased at the Saco Scoop on Main Street in Saco or online. She hopes to someday to publish a children’s book featuring the postcards.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.