Bar Stool

2019

14 x 11 in. [Unframed], 18.5 x 15.75 in. [Framed]

Pen and acrylic on paper.

From Amanda’s 2019 show “Grand Illusions” original show at The Blue Door Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Several years ago, a dear family friend gave me my most treasured possession, a large heavy coffee table book entitled "Grand illusions" by Richard Lawton. This book is filled with a selection of the most beautiful photographs ever to come out of Hollywood's Golden Years. The unbelievably haunting and beautiful images in this book ignited my fascination with film starlets. I became fascinated with their stories, both tragic and triumphant, of the lives of the actresses. I began to see an opportunity to study female subjects and their traits such as age and aging, heart break, tragedy and success. In my current collection, "Grand Illusions Part I", I am interested in conveying mood, emotion and drama. With each drawing or painting, I attempt to capture a strong emotional portrait conveyed with light, texture and pose on a two dimensional surface. Some of the portraits are recognizable actresses, while others are more anonymous, hence my early attempts to blur the lines between starlet and everyday woman and to focus on a more timeless tale of female emotion. I see this collection of portraits as an unfolding story, a modern view of a Greek poem and told from a female perspective.”

A. Johnson