About Amanda

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Recent Publications:

“Artists to collect” European Vogue House & Garden , London, England, Mar-July 2021

Flowering Vines” (featured 4 page centerfold article) Pratique des Arts, Paris, FR  Dec 2020

“Cloud Chasing” (feature 8 page article), Pastel Journal, August 2019

“Northwest Beauty” (2 page article), American Art Collector, April 2018

Plein Air winner hadn’t planned an art career” (1 page article) The Oregonian, 2014

“Pacific NW Artist to watch”, (1 page article), American Art Collector, August 2013

Local Artist is city’s first Public arts Program” (2 page article) Argus Focus, 2012

“Creativity helps artist during medical trails” (1 page article) The Oregonian, 2008

“Pastel Passions”(1 page article), Argus Focus, Sept 2007

Growing up on three continents, Amanda has been inspired by much of the world. She now lives on 30 breath-taking acres in Cornelius, OR capturing the beauty of the landscapes that surround her.  

As a child living in Africa and Saudi Arabia, she remembers watching her mother paint oil landscapes as a hobby. Both her parents were educators and encouraged her to follow her creative passion. Amanda was educated in New England and holds a B.S. in Apparel Design & Merchandising from University of Vermont and a graduate degree in Textile Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.  She was L.L. Bean’s first Apparel Designer in the 80’s, Nike’s first Apparel Innovation Director in the 90’s and then helped launch Nike’s first e-commerce business (www.Niketown.com) during the dot-com boom.  

After almost 20 years of corporate America, traveling, designing, and merchandising sports apparel for big global brands, she found she was creating less and managing more. In 2004 she took the leap, embraced motherhood and allowed the artist in her to finally come out. “I knew I wanted to be an artist when I retired, but I didn’t want to wait until I was 65 to start.” Amanda has been painting and refining her evolving voice ever since. She has been teaching and mentoring others nationally and internationally since 2016. 

She is a Master’s Circle Member of IAPS (International Assoc. of Pastel Societies) and the current President and Signature member of the NW Pastel Society. She participates in national shows as a member of the American Women Artists, American Impressionist Society and Pastel Society of America. She has won numerous national awards and is collected internationally. She is nationally published by Editions Limited Inc. and is seen throughout the nation in the hospitality industry. She is represented by Cole Gallery in Edmonds, WA, Scott Milo in Anacortes, WA and Valley Art in Forest Grove, OR. She works with private clients, art brokers, interior designers, as well as two winery tasting rooms in Oregon, (Penner Ash Wine Cellars and Colene Clemens Vineyards). 

She lives in the foothills of Willamette Valley wine country in an old historic hunting lodge near Hillsboro, OR on 30 glorious acres overlooking vineyards and rolling cultivated with her black lab and cat where she has built a workshop space for art classes and creativity retreats. She is devoted to guiding others to find their creative voice and inner joy.  

As a retired Nike triathlete, and empty nester she spends her non-working time cycling, practicing yoga, swimming, cooking, gardening, and traveling. Amanda is a recent alumni NYU’s InnerMBA program focusing on bringing mindful, conscious practices to her world and her leadership skills. She splits her time between Oregon and the San Juan islands squeezing painting time whenever she can.

Artist CV

Artist Statement

I’m always drawn to the moments when the light is the most dramatic, often at the edges of our days. I gravitate to rural scenes that speaks a peaceful, simpler place in our lives.  Trying subconsciously to continually capture rhythm and depth in my work, I love working with overlapping elements and aerial perspective. My work is described as calming yet uplifting through my use of color and texture. My goal is simply to capture the light I see with whatever I am present with.

Pastels give me the pleasure of drawing and painting at the same time.  I love their forgiving quality, ease and the buttery sensation of drawing with pastels directly to the surface, without the mastery of any tools.

I work on many different surfaces from smooth to very textured, some of which I prepare myself like sanded gesso boards and plates of copper. I use multiple layers, building up richness and depth. Whenever I can I paint plein-air but also work in the studio from field studies and photographs.

My voice is constantly exploring and evolving. After formal design and illustration training, I am trying to loosen my style to become more painterly and impressionistic. The act of painting teaches me to enjoy the journey as much as the result. Each painting brings its own set of joys and challenges, which pushes me to grow and learn while allowing me to fully engage in the presence of inspiration and creativity in its purest form.

Teaching History

Amanda teaches 12 (2-5 day) workshops per year in pastel all levels of artists. She is a regular instructor at Dakota Art and Art Spot in WA and travels to other venues to teach multi day workshops. She also teaches weekly 3 hr. winter classes in her studio. Her class menu consists of:

  • Composition/Design Fundamentals

  • Experimenting on different surfaces: (papers, boards, metal)

  • Bird Portraits

  • Simplifying the landscape by using 4 values,

  • The language of Trees and light

  • Passion for Profit

  • Creating Dramatic Skies and Reflections

  • Creativity Retreats to unleash your voice nationwide and abroad

  • Plein Air Workshops on location

  • JAM! Workshops with Diana Sanford

Galleries