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Biographical Narrative:
Growing up on three continents, Amanda has been inspired by much of the world. She now lives on 30 breath-taking acres in Cornelius, OR capturing the beauty of the landscapes that surround her.
As a child living in Africa and Saudi Arabia, she remembers watching her mother paint oil landscapes as a hobby. Both her parents were educators and encouraged her to follow her creative passion. Amanda was educated in New England and holds a B.S. in Apparel Design & Merchandising (honors) from University of Vermont and a graduate degree in Textile Design (Summa Cum Laude) from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She was L.L. Bean’s first apparel designer in the 80’s, Nike’s first Apparel Innovation Director in the 90’s and then helped launch Nike’s e-commerce business (www.Niketown.com) during the dot-com boom.
After 17 years of traveling, designing and merchandising sports apparel for big global brands, she found she was creating less and managing more. “Eventually the only colored pens on my desk were highlighters for reading financial reports and market research trends. I always knew that I would paint someday, but I didn’t want to wait until I was 65 to start.” She is now allowing the time and space for the artist in her to finally come out.
She and her husband have just embarked on renovating an old historic hunting lodge west of Portland on a 30 acre estate where they are raising natural grass fed beef. She helps manage green construction practices for their flourishing construction and development companies (Adaptive Construction, Inc. and Adaptive Development, Inc.) She has two small sons and a black lab and loves to ride her bike, cook, garden, sail and compete in local sporting events. She splits her time between Oregon and Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands and squeezes painting time in whenever she can. She is a signature member of the NW Pastel Society and she sits on the board of directors for the Valley Art Gallery in Forest Grove, OR, as one of their top selling artist. She is also also represented by Scott Milo Gallery in Anacortes, WA, Art-etc. in Portland, The 9th Street Gallery in Newport, OR, The Pines in Hood River, OR and Cole Gallery in Edmonds, WA.
Artist Statement
I’m always drawn to the moment when the light is most dramatic, often at the edges of our days, and how the relationships of color, composition and texture within each scene speaks a calmer, simpler place in my life. Viewing and painting these meditative landscapes allows me to find a more balanced center and revel in the beauty that exists around us. Sharing these emotional connections visually, by painting beautiful paintings is what my art is about.
But for me, painting is just as much about the journey as it is about the finished piece. Each painting brings its own set of frustrations and challenges, which pushes me to grow and learn while giving me the pleasure of purely creating. My voice is constantly evolving. The more I paint the more I realize how much there still is to learn about the relation to color, texture, and technique. After formal design and illustration training, I am constantly trying to loosen my style to become more painterly and impressionistic.
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