Amanda has dabbled in art practice her whole adulthood, after her Bachelor of Art in Graphic Design and Visual Arts Certificates she has moved on from being a professional Graphic Designer to being an artist. She works from her home studio on Wadawurrung Country and all her subject matter is inspired by this area she lives in.
Amanda was best known in the art world for her Geobird and Geocean series of watercolour birds and marine life, on wood, inspiration coming from her own backyard and nearby ocean on the Surf Coast. Amanda’s background in graphic design enabled her to see the birds and marine life as facets of colour and pattern. Her accentuated hues expressing each creature’s distinct characteristics in a creative way with intricate geometric shapes and a bold colour palette. She has a successful Greeting Card and Print range from this previous style, you can see them on her instagram @mandsandco
Over the past years Amanda has had challenges producing her artwork, after surgery on her painting hand she can no longer create the detailed fine point pieces she had before - thus marking a new direction for her artistic endeavour… enabling her to take the opportunity to find freedom in acrylic and loosen her technical approach, creating layers and textures which bring her joy.
Amanda’s new direction of art, acrylic on canvas shows her love for the ocean, expressed through a medley of her signature geometric shapes and vivid hues of the shallow and the deep. These abstract works explore the interplay of light and colour in coastal weather and a desire to be taken away with the tides and see the ocean horizon through a window in her home. “These pieces are windows to my soul.”