Amanda Wall

Pandemic painting has formed two sides like yin and yang: aura portraits and harsh criticism of American politics and social structures in an era of crisis. The aura portraits express our fragility. However, as the sun begins to rise, my cast of New Yorkers are portrayed shrouded in their individual spirit color, intuitively assigned in the process of creation. I delight in believing our inner being will shine through transparently, as a protective barrier against suffering and trauma.

Eastern philosophies and Western theologies teach a practice of vulnerability through suffering, much like the process of painting, as a path to enlightenment. This quest will forever be connected to my work.

A more critical analysis of our divided American ambitions and perspectives, is the yang to the spiritual yin. Uncensored and powerless, my power exists in the courage of my opinions. My paint brush is the weapon. As a descendant of my English pioneer and Cherokee Native American ancestors, my message is as graceful as a rain dance and as sharp as a cowboy’s pistol. This dichotomy of racial and cultural mixing, is the essence of our American identity.

I have more faith in the collective consciousness of our spirits, free to roam the ...

Pratt Institute
MFA Painting & Drawing
2020

University of Tulsa
BFA Graphic Design & Visual Art