BIO
Amanda is a Brisbane artist specializing in artists books. She came to art in her early thirties after a brief career as an occupational therapist. She studied ceramics at Southbank TAFE in Brisbane, winning the Craft Queensland Prize on graduation. In 2008 Amanda completed a Masters of Fine Art through RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, in which she explored the idea of change as a central theme in life. Her artworks include artists’ books, installations, photographs and prints. In 2009 Amanda joined the artists' collective and blog Book*Art*Object as a founding member. She has participated in juried exhibitions around Australia, as well as in the US, England and France. Her work is held in private and public collections including Bibliotheca Librorum apud Artificem, the State Library of Queensland, the University of Kent, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Portsmouth. Since late 1990 she has been living with moderate-severe M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomylitis, also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).
STATEMENT
I use the process of making art to ground me in the present and as a means to process and understand my experiences of life. I tend to use psychological and spiritual frameworks to explore ideas and to try to integrate the big picture with the small detail of the everyday.
Clay was the foundation of my art practice and in my masters I experimented with using unfired clay to create ephemeral works by sculpting and painting. In order to create a record of these works I began making artists books. I also realised how important materiality and the sense of touch are to me, and in response I have expanded the range of materials I use.
Since 2005 I have been exploring the concept of change as a central facet of existence. Process, transience, fragility and death can be uncomfortable ideas and yet we must learn to accommodate them. My work embraces these factors, aiming to highlight a sense of preciousness in the experience, and engaging with aspects of time.
Clay was the foundation of my art practice and in my masters I experimented with using unfired clay to create ephemeral works by sculpting and painting. In order to create a record of these works I began making artists books. I also realised how important materiality and the sense of touch are to me, and in response I have expanded the range of materials I use.
Since 2005 I have been exploring the concept of change as a central facet of existence. Process, transience, fragility and death can be uncomfortable ideas and yet we must learn to accommodate them. My work embraces these factors, aiming to highlight a sense of preciousness in the experience, and engaging with aspects of time.
