Amanda has been a lifelong resident of Jonesville, MI. She started painting at a very young age with her grandmother who instilled in her a love of art. They would set up their easels in her grandmother’s kitchen and paint landscapes together. Her Grandmother would also take her to art shows and galleries, and they even took lessons from local artists. Amanda received an art scholarship at Spring Arbor University where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Art.

 

During college, she took a photography class and fell in love with black and white photography, spending hours in the dark room. For over 20 years she did fine art photography and weddings. During this time, Amanda was also a Volunteer Firefighter for 11.5 years with the Jonesville Fire Dept.

 

In 2019 Amanda left her abusive marriage of 17 years, she felt a huge need for color in her life and returned to painting.  Instead of painting landscapes, she started painting abstracts in bright, bold colors. She finds healing from the trauma she endured in her art, a way to release emotions and stress, and a way to express herself on the canvas. With PTSD, anxiety and insomnia being a constant battle, she finds solace in her colors and paintings. She also finds a way to express her religious beliefs and her relationship with Jesus/Yeshua, who was and is instrumental in the protection she received during her trauma, her battles she went and continues to go through, and the healing she has and continues to receive.

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Amanda is currently a member of Artworks of Hillsdale and Jackson Civic Art Association. 

                                        

Artist Statement

When I enter my studio, I say to myself, “What colors do I want to play with today?” I love working with bold, bright, contrasting colors. I love seeing how they play with each other on the canvas! For my abstracts I mainly use palette knives to create a textured impasto effect. I receive great pleasure when the viewer wants to touch the paintings to feel the textures. I also use a rainbow color palette for Pet Portraits. I feel like our beloved pets have such bright & colorful personalities, and I translate that onto canvas with rainbow colors creating a unique portrait. When I am not in my studio, I love being with my family and my animals. I also love being in nature and taking walks with my dogs through the woods daily.