Artist Statement:
“The inspiration for my work comes from an innate love of color. When I am looking for a subject, the lighting and local color always catch my eye first. Color relationships have naturally become my technique for interpreting shape and form. Playing within large areas of value to find color notes that ‘vibrate’ appeals to my creative sensibilities the most. Paint seems to achieve something for me that is more desired than to render a scene in any other medium. There is simultaneously a sense of immediacy and structure within the building-up of paint. I find the process of mixing oil paint to be expressive in itself, as well as the myriad ways of mark making and application. I try to make my marks and colors as intuitive as possible, sticking with my initial impressions. I mostly paint representationally and from life. I paint ‘en plein air’ regularly in an effort to try and understand and simplify complex visual information quickly and accurately.”
Amanda is a graduate of The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, MD. She studied abroad at Studio Art Centers International (SACI) in Florence, Italy. She is a member of The Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA). She works in her home studio outside of Baltimore, Maryland. Amanda has won several awards in regional plein air festivals including:
2020 – Harford Plein Air, 2nd Place: Public Quick Draw
2019 – Paint Annapolis Public Quick Draw: 1st place
2019 – Paint it!! Ellicott City Plein Air Event: Honorable Mention Award from juror Nancy Tankersly
