About Amanda
I am a mixed media artist working in acrylics, pens, and paper. I grew up in Barbados and always wanted to be an artist, from the first moment I peeped into my grandmother’s art cupboard - I can still feel the excitement I had that day, it was like having the key to the sweetie shop.
Art has always been my joy and anchor. I left Barbados at 13 to live in England, a far cry from the small island life I was used to.
Moving and starting again has been my life, living in 37 houses and 7 countries! Although difficult at times, It has been a privilege to observe new environments, cultures and people. I realise now that living in different spaces is energising and it is what feeds my practice. The need to restart, and reconnect has given me a super dose of empathy for those around me.
I used to find it difficult when asked where is HOME and now I see it as a gift to live my life between three countries. - Barbados, England and the United States.
I studied Textiles in Huddersfield and that experience and subsequent years of designing rugs has informed the textures and colours that show up in my work today. You will see that I paint dancers and I was drawn to them from the beginning and they informed my textile designs. You can read more about them in my blog
2020 saw me kick-start my art. It was terrifying and exciting all at the same time. I don’t know if you feel the same but I got to an age where I felt like I had supported others for so long that now it was my time to give my art a shot and you know what, I haven’t looked back since.!
My work expresses emotions, joy of colour, movement (there is a lot of movement), texture, captures moments of bliss and hints of private times. I paint what I experience and the impressions that are left with me. I am a very active painter using my body to move paint across the canvas so when I am at home in Barbados I prop work on the wall or lay it on the floor set a timer and move from one canvas to another.
When I am in the USA, I don’t have much room so my practice is small and based on paper or small canvas work oftern working on my lap in the passenger seat of the car as my husband drives towing a trailer fro thousands of miles. My paper work is different, it;s paper! However, you can still see me, movement colour, loose marks and much of the unexpected layered between..
Every piece is a unique part of me ready to make yours space a unique part of you. Enjoy the shop and take a look at my
“The modern artist is working with space and time and expressing the feelings rather than illustrating.”
My Art
My expressive work centres around loose abstracted backgrounds that draw on a place and moments frozen in time. I start with studies done quickly to grab the feelings of a place and or the people I see. They are not realistic copies of the world surrounding me. I use techniques to produce expressive textures with layers of paint, pens, pencil and collage at times. They relate to memories, spaces and types of places that have touched my soul and express emotions that cannot be put into words. I am never happier than when I am in a chaotic mess with my materials!
That is not to say that every work is easy and makes it out of the studio. There are often challenges in solving problems to reach the place where I am satisfied. I’m in a tussle between my intentions and aim to keep each piece loose and energetic whilst pushing the boundaries of what has come before.
When it’s not working, I have to walk away and return and respond accordingly, to allow the pieces to develop. Some don’t make it. What you see is what brings me joy and reflects the energy I want to you to see. The end has not been without some turbulence.
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Commissions are Welcome!
To get started I need a 50% deposit, the size of the piece and the colours that you’d like to incorporate. Also helpful to me is if you can comment on two of my images and comment on what you like or dislike about them. We can always have a call if that is simpler.
Once I finish the painting I will send you images to make sure that you are happy with the results.
Contact me to check on the current lead times (which change all the time!).