We were lucky to catch up with Amanda recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I was primarily raised by my mom after my parents divorced when I was three. Starting at an early age, she really tried to nurture my sense of curiosity and creativity by exposing me to new or unfamiliar things—art, fashion, food, music. She was always down to immerse herself in new experiences with me, whether we were making papier mache animals, attending an art show, or thrifting through a flea market. This kind of shared exploration and a willingness to try new things encouraged me to cultivate my interests as a child, and it is something I’ve carried into adulthood.

My mom also instilled in me the importance of having a strong work ethic. Growing up, she worked in both the designer retail and interior design worlds. She’d often pick me up after school and bring me to work with her, where I’d spend school nights wandering stockrooms and showrooms. Having her as a role model taught me that work could be both a source of motivation and independence, and because she worked in professions that involved design, integrating one’s creativity within the professional world was something that really affected me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a painter and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hunter College. I am based in New York City but am originally from Chicago and its neighboring suburbs. Growing up I was surrounded by art making and creativity, so my path to becoming an artist unfolded early and organically. My maternal grandmother was a painter and my mom was an avid sewer who often took on custom drapery and upholstery projects. In about 3rd grade I remember my grandmother setting me up with her oil paints and easel, and from there my interest in painting naturally bloomed. In high school I enrolled in weekend painting classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, which cemented my ambitions for become an artist.

As an artist now, I make large scale oil paintings that depict uncanny architectural spaces. Forms reminiscent of windows, doorways, and arches are present throughout and function as a symbolic invitation for the viewer to enter and pass through. I am interested in these ordinary architectural forms as thresholds that signal transition and transcendence. I am also interested in the way light interacts within these forms as it moves from an interior space to an exterior, or vice versa. The duality between interior and exterior as a metaphor for the external, physical world, and our experience in internalizing it, is a subtext I am exploring.

The imagery in my paintings is pulled from moments glanced in my day to day—walking home from the studio or on my way to work. Pausing to look at seemingly mundane moments of light and shadow, I get lost in the act of looking. My paintings trace these moments of perceptual wandering and recall my experience and memory of visual sensation. When painting, I use transparent layers of color alongside subtle, sometimes imperceptible gradients, to create a luminosity that is both striking and elusive. My aim is not to tell a story or to document these moments. Instead, through the use of color, value, perspective and scale, I extend a direct perceptual experience to the viewer.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being an artist is a lifelong practice of learning. As I’ve matured, certain ideas have become clearer and processes easier, but the goal post is always moving. With each new painting or project, the questions I am asking and ideas I am thinking about shift and evolve. Having a studio practice that keeps me seeking new answers and outcomes is deeply enriching.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Artists are some of the hardest working people I know, and I think this is a quality that is often unseen or misunderstood (I’m thinking of the artist-as-daydreamer/slacker stereotype). Every artist and creative I know is constantly hustling to support their practice, which requires excellent budgeting and time management skills. Many of us work full-time jobs in addition to making art, so our “time off” is spent working in the studio, sending emails, attending exhibitions and working on applications for grants, residencies and other important opportunities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.amandamarrebrown.com
• Instagram: @downtownacbrown

Image Credits
Photos by Daniel Greer