It is my third site, my first concentrated on my work as a paints effects and mural artist and my second recorded my children's book illustrations and textile designs.
So what's different about this one? Well, simply i feel i am growing as a portrait and narrative painter, finding a new expressive voice with a new body of work that explores my love of the theatrical and sociocultural.
It is not a cliche to say that art is a journey of discovery. As a first generation Brit of immigrant parents I strongly feel that creativity bonds, heals boundaries and feeds the soul.
I have drawn all my life, inspired by Denis who went to Harrow art school and who seemed happy to share his new found skills with his persistent nosey kid sister! He showed me the rules of perspective and vanishing points, pencil shading and cross-hatching. We drew cars with spherical and elliptical wheel hubs, poured over Mad and Beano comics and used magic markers for poster lettering.
Then at my Somerset school my art teacher, Mr Tapster, organised my timetable so that I could spend every afternoon in the Art room where he taught me his skills with a dip pen & ink and watercolour. I was sent out, on my own, on expeditions to draw theatre interiors and local red bricked textile mills. I adored architectural drawing and still do. Oh, and Mr Tapster also sent one of my paintings (a Rousseau inspired jungle scene) to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and it got in!
Art became my saviour from a difficult childhood. I struggled with incredible shyness and PTSD throughout my Art College years but kind and helpful tutors like Raymond Briggs helped me tremendously.
Jane Fior, chief editor of Collins, asked me to create a series of Teddy books based on my graduate degree show work. I sat in her tiny London St James's publishing office, in the same space as Judith Kerr and Jill Barklem, every other month until I had 17 books published with many global co-editions.
And although all they wanted from me were my teddy bear stories, I loved it! The world of children's books is absolutely fascinating.
Any art commission is an exciting challenge and a personal privilege to undertake.
I have had a hugh variety come my way. Each one required it's own unique approach if it was to achieve the brief and please the client. And now I am enjoying creating paintings for exhibitions too.
So if you enjoy my work and wish to learn more about what I create then please follow me here.
This website links to my Instagram site where i post work in progress. I also enjoy following other artists, writers, musicians and performers so please share!
Finally, I wish to thanks Sen Scherbakoff for designing this site for me.
Thànks for reading!
See you here again soon.
Amanda Rosenstein Davidson