about the artist
Hi, I'm Amanda
For nearly three decades, I've built a successful career as a professional artist and educator.
Today, I make vibrant mixed-media paintings, fine art photography and help other creatively curious humans make art they love. And I believe deeply that
I never had a backup plan. From my 1980-something Kodak® Disc camera era to earning my BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, creative everything was always my plan. Since then, I've traveled the world for thousands of commissions, built an award-winning studio with a celebrity-filled client list, and turned my endless curiosity and color obsession into a life and career I love.
But somewhere between making art for clients, raising a family, caring for people I love, and all the beautiful and hard parts of being human, I realized how much I missed making art just for me.
So I made room for art again.
That's a big reason why I teach now.
There's no right way to be an artist, and the path is almost never straight. Maybe your art has been waiting for years. Maybe you're already making art and wondering where to go next. Maybe you bought the paints and haven't opened them yet. (I have a few of those, too.)
I'll share what I've learned from a lifetime of making art to help you build your skills, trust your own ideas, and make more art that feels like you.
Whether you're here to make art, collect art, or simply live with a little more beauty, I'm so glad you found your way here.
life is better with art.
The more art I made, the more myself I felt.
Amanda
x
Wherever you are, you're welcome here.
It's lovely to meet you, friend!
mixed-media paintings
Please don't ask me to pick one medium. I can't possibly! Watercolor, gouache, acrylic, inks, dyes and whatever else catches my eye all find their way into my vibrant compositions on paper and raw canvas.
fine art photography
I've spent a lifetime using film & cameras as my creative voice. My work explores abstract botanicals, color, pattern and the beautiful details we often walk right past.
creative educator
My goal as a teacher is to help foster your creativity, build your skills with confidence, and give yourself permission to make art that feels like you.
inside the studio
I’ve never believed artists need to fit neatly into one tidy style box. While my abstract botanicals are perhaps my most celebrated work, my multidisciplinary practice spans painting, photography, mixed media, pattern and abstraction. Color, organic forms, energy and movement are the threads that connect it all.
outside the studio
When I'm not working, I Mom pretty hard. Check the ski lift, a beach chair in the Outer Banks, or a National Park trail if I'm off playing with my favorite people: Tod, Emmet & Zoe. I also love a good tree pose.
cool, weird life stuff
Co-piloted a plane over the Amazon (not a pilot), climbed Cotopaxi, spent years in the darkroom studying with photography masters (prints I made hung at the Centre Pompidou), and I once sang ON STAGE with KT Tunstall, Sheryl Crow & Brandi Carlile (also not a singer). No ears were harmed.
watching:
Obsessed:
READING:
CRAVING:
taylor sheridan anything
opera pink and gold ink forever
on writing by stephen king
Gusta Pizza In Florence, Italy
Latest Loves
listening:
KT TUNstall
installation day
Tartufo is my favorite!
I'm a wife & mom, first always.
We're in that strange, wonderful season where college and graduate school are hot topics at our kitchen table, but thankfully, my nest is still full. My husband Tod is the best partner a human could ask for, and my two hearts walking the earth, Emmet and Zoe, are my favorite everything.
I love our family shenanigans and adventures together, along with our two exceptionally lazy Border Terriers, Izzy and Mavis.
I create bold, vibrant art for collectors and teach artists & creatively curious folks how to make joyful art they love with confidence.
