Meet our featured beauty with brains Amanda Thompson, an artist based in Sydney, Australia. Here is her story.
“Hi, I’m Amanda, the artist behind Amanda Thompson Artworks. Born in Perth, Western Australia, I started drawing and painting at a young age (apparently on the wall behind the sofa)! I was always interested in art and craft, but really only started taking art seriously when I was in my teens. I completed 2 years of art classes at high school level, but did not continue with any further training. I can’t say I loved the structure of high school art classes, I prefer the kinaesthetic approach to learning – give it a go and see what happens!
I’m inspired by my mother, who is a talented (award winning) painter. We have worked on pieces together and had an exhibition together in Perth many years ago. I am hugely inspired by my surroundings. I have lived in Perth, Brisbane, London and Milton Keynes (UK) and now living in the Sydney Hills, where there is an abundance of wildlife to inspire me. I also love to travel, experience new cultures, environments and influences.
I tend to lean towards a quirky and impressionist style, but my portfolio includes a range from Acrylic landscapes, bright Ink and Watercolour paintings, through to black and white Zen drawings. Over the last few years I focussed on commissioned pieces, created mostly in Black Ink, however have returned to bright Inks and Watercolours. My latest works are predominantly inspired by Australian wildlife, however you may be lucky to find a floral piece in my range from time to time.
I predominantly sell prints of my work, on various mediums including Fine Art and Canvas.
At the moment, I create my art part-time, with my other ‘day job’ working in Human Resources. I have also worked in retail and have a passion for Homewares and gifts. I just love beautiful things!”
Here is an interview with her.
1. What are some of the challenges you face and how do you overcome them?
One of the major challenges I face is finding the time to paint. I work part time in an office, so on the days when I am at home, I’m usually doing housework. It’s a matter of making myself schedule time to create. Sometimes the housework has to wait!
Another challenge is working through times when my creative side isn’t present. I have learned to listen to my intuition and not to force it. I feel that if I try to paint during these times, I don’t create my best work. I just step away from creating art until the feeling of motivation and joy (MOJO) is back again.
2. What is your advice to budding artists?
Try different mediums and have fun with your art. Remember that “Comparison is the thief of joy” and not to compare your success to that of other artists. It may appear that they’ve become an overnight success, but in reality there’s usually years of hard work that has gone on behind the scenes. Also remember that Art is subjective. Not everyone likes the same thing, so don’t be discouraged if your work doesn’t always win prizes or sell. There’s someone out there who will love it and buy it, they just haven’t seen it yet.
3. Do you have a favourite painting which inspires you?
I have a painting of a sailboat on the open ocean. It was painted by my mum and I absolutely love it. It is calming, but also reminds me of her every day. She lives in Perth, Western Australia, and I only see her once or twice a year, so it is lovely to have a piece of her always with me. She has several pieces of my artwork too.
4. Do you interact with the digital world/technology in your work?
Technology is a huge part of my work as an artist. Last year I was encouraged by friends and family to start selling prints of my work, rather than only originals.
I taught myself how to take high resolution scans of my artwork and make it print-ready. I work with a print company in Brisbane who I send the high resolution digital files to, and they print my work on a range of paper, canvas and acrylic blocks.
I set up an ecommerce website to display and sell my prints. Once an order is placed, I receive a notification, then I send the order to the printer (either by email or via their website) and once it is ready, they ship it directly to my customers.
I use digital media (Facebook and Instagram) to advertise my work, run giveaways and show what I’m currently working on.
Technology has helped me reach a broader audience than having a shop front (although I’d love to have my prints in homewares shops one day too!).
Amanda would like to offer our readers a discount too. If they use the code EBWB10 they’ll receive 10% off any print order via her website (www.amandathompsonartworks.com.au) for the month of September.
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