Unique, loosely intricate, observational drawing, capturing a version of reality in which wild stories reside in our woods and hedgerows.
Amanda is driven by a delight in drawing and an insatiable curiosity for how things work. She has a particular interest in the roles of illusion and narrative, or story, in our interpretation of the unknown.
She was elected to the Society of Graphic Fine Arts as an associate (ASGFA) in autumn 2022, and her work has been selected for the society’s annual open exhibitions in 2021, ’22, ’23 and ’24. Her work has also been included in the Society of Women Artists open exhibitions (2021, 2022, 2024), the ING Discerning Eye (2020), the 2022 Southampton City Art Gallery Open and others.
Awards
- Monochrome Award SGFA, 2024
- Best Newcomer, Southern Nature Art, 2024
- Highly Commended, Red House Museum, 2024
- People’s Choice, White Chalk Gallery, 2023
- Overall Winner, Red House Museum, 2023
- Highly Commended, St. Barbe Museum, Lymington, 2023
- Best Mixed Media, Winchester Art Club, 2022
- Friend’s Choice Award, Red House Museum, 2022
Amanda is based in Kingsclere, Hampshire, England.
Statement
I think art is about life and how we live it. And, because I’m an optimist, I think that art should be about appreciating the things that you find around you.
But the real point of art is the sharing, the conversation. When I paint a picture, I am offering you an experience, a viewpoint, a way of looking at the world. In a way, I am asking if you understand. Not about art, but about life, and about the world we live in together as human beings, and about the strangeness and the commonality of being human.
And me? I think too much. I like to know what and why and how, whether in anticipation or retrospect, and when I paint things I need them to be recognisable and true to the moment. I like open spaces and high hills, the comforting presence of trees and the energy of water in motion. I love a good story, especially if it has a happy ending, and I still believe that it’s possible to rescue innocent dragons from errant princes.
