by Bella Erakko
Amanda Brown, the September featured guest artist at Alliance Art Gallery, started art as a kid watching her father ink in comic books as an avocation. She remembers, “We bonded over art.” When college admission loomed and many parents worry about the practicality of art, Amanda received that rare gift: parental enthusiasm.
A recent graduate from Culver-Stockton with a Fine Arts degree, she received an even greater gift: a job at the Quincy Art Center. Today, as a part-time administrative assistant, she handles not only day-to-day office matters but stands at the ready to act as a substitute teacher, give tours of the Center, and serve as a welcoming presence.
When not at the Center, she pursues her creative passion: portraiture and landscapes. “I really like hyper realism. I find it fascinating. It’s a challenge to make the image almost photographic.” But sometimes, she admits, “I get to feeling stuck.” So how does she unstick herself? “I do abstract drawing. You can do anything you want.”
Though she tends toward the cool color palette—blues, purples, greens—she sees herself as a don’t-fence-me-in artist, wanting freedom to explore in any direction.
But then she adds, “I have a hard time being loose. The details … I like to fix them.”
An opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 14 from 5 until 8:00 pm.
