Hiya! I’m Amanda.
I’m a painter, maker, artist, and a bunch of other names for things that look cool on a business card.
This is the part where I tell you why I was born to create art and why you should buy some from me. But I’m not.
Because the truth is we are all born to make art, I’m just one of the few who gets to do it for a living. By that fact alone, in the grand scheme of humanity, I have already won the lottery. This is a great job. When I am mixing paint and getting ready to apply it to the canvas, I can feel my cells shift. Can’t tell you where that comes from, but I suspect it means I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. This is it. I am here. This is now. The flowers are calling my name! And perhaps they are calling yours too.
Thank you for your interest in my work.
I am so glad you are here!
Ten Things About Me
one One time I delivered 12 pounds of fettuccini alfredo to Oprah and the Spice Girls.
Yes, it was amazing.
two Didn't get my driver's license until I was 29
and that was only after I failed the driving test...TWICE.
three My pre-professional-painter employment history is impressively diverse.
I am a former cleaning lady, commodities broker, taxidermy assistant, fundraiser, grant writer, presidential campaign intern, hotel nanny, bar mitzvah centerpiece designer, graphic designer, paralegal, pro bono coordinator....and more! You can see why I am very happy to be a painter.
four My favorite word is “Ya’aburnee” – it means "you bury me" in Arabic.
This means you love someone so much you hope they outlive you so you can avoid the pain of living without them. Isn’t that wonderful?
five I found out I was officially someone’s mother via email (this is not unusual for adoptive parents).
It was at the grocery store, in the canned bean section, checking my phone for a chili recipe. It just popped up. Alone. No fanfare. No doctor to offer congratulations. Just me and the beans. But it was my best moment ever. She’s now two years old and thinks her name is “Bean” or “Beanie.” (It’s not, but that’s the only name she ever hears).
six I love possums.
Some people look at them as gross but that’s because they don’t know how to look. Possums are tremendous. I call Insider’s Studio members Glamour Possums because glamour and possums are two things that rarely get together, but probably ought to more often.
seven My fridge is famous.
It appeared in eleven print magazines and countless design blogs. From 2013-2017 if you searched the word “fridge” on Pinterest the first ten pins would be of my refrigerator. Yes, this means you can buy art from someone with a celebrity fridge. Get excited!
eight I have a BFA in fine art from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but can I tell you something?
I’m nearly 20 years out of school, nearly 2,000 original works sold, and not one of my buyers has ever once asked me if or where I went to art school. Nobody cares. The only people who care about this stuff are other artists with art degrees who aren’t doing much with them. If you are reading this and wondering if you need to go to art school to be an artist, the answer is no. Not at all. Make art. Lots of art. That’s how you become an artist.
nine The greatest privilege I have ever known has come from helping other people discover the art that lives inside them.
It’s an honor I take very seriously. I still do not consider myself a teacher (and I’ll cringe if you call me one), but more of a guide or sherpa. My students teach themselves – I just give a well-tested road map and tell them when they are off-course.
ten In 2015 I was invited to the White House for a week to help install Christmas trees.
I signed a non-disclosure agreement so I can’t tell stories, but believe me, I have stories.
