pantone and pine needles

Some recent sketchbook pages.

Happy Friday! And have a safe and wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

xo, Amanda

the language of foxtrot

A poster I created for my friend David's band, The Doctors Fox, to advertise their new album release! April 14th at Great Scott!

I had a lot of fun doing the hand lettering and personalizing the painting with things related to the band.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week! Back soon with more art.

xo, Amanda
P.S. - I want to say the biggest thank you to everyone (especially my amazing family, friends, and coworkers) who came and supported me at my opening! It meant so, so much to me. You are all wonderful. And thank you to Voltage for making it such a fun night!

the art of the bow tie

Hi, everyone!

Two incredibly nice gentlemen featured me on their blog, The Bowtie Boys' Blog, yesterday. They've added a new element to their weekly artist feature in which the artist does a custom blog header for them.  You can see mine above. :)

In other news, my opening is tonight!! If you can make it, I would love to see you!

Info:

The Drawing Room: studies in repetition

at Voltage Coffee & Art

295 Third Street

Kendall Sq. Cambridge, MA

7-10 pm

I was also informed last night that I've been nominated for Outstanding Illustrator in 2011 by Seacoast. I am so honored and send out a really big thank you for this. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo, Amanda

wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings; these are a few of my favorite things.

I did an inspiration post that's featured on the Glovebox website today. Thank you, Glovebox! 

I hope you're all having a wonderful week. xo, me

take a picture with the swans

This is the photo booth backdrop I created for my show at Voltage Coffee & Art. 

So if you come to the opening this Friday (7-10 pm!), make sure you bring your camera/instagram/polaroid/picture-taking device. 

I hope to see you there!

xo, Amanda

1,001 nights

You know how sometimes you need to buy yourself a present? I needed that tonight, and I chose this book.

I've wanted to read the 1,001 stories for a long time, and this is the most beautiful cover I've ever seen for this book (and in my favorite color). 

Tonight, I am finishing up painting for The Drawing Room at Voltage. Tomorrow I scan and frame, and Sunday we hang it! The opening is next Friday, the 9th. I'm very excited. 

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend!

xo, Amanda

the pinning of things

I made a pinterest!

I hope I don't get addicted to it...

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend!

saturday inspiration: a beautiful print & some sketchbook

"Gemz" by Amber Ibarreche

from Mammoth and Company

I want this print SO much! I think I am just going to have to buy it. It is so 1960s biology class! The colors are so inspiring - all the onyx and chartreuse and warm reds and oranges. I actually found it on Katrina's blog, where she used it for inspiration to make one of her beautiful "Colour Lovers" palettes. 

and some sketchbook ladies.

Happy Saturday!

xo, Amanda

Vaclav & Lena

Over the week of February Vacation, I read Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner. It's a beautiful fictional story about a little girl and boy growing up as Russian immigrants in Brooklyn, NY, and how their lives intertwine, disconnect, and re-tangle themselves. It's a little dark but severely compelling and romantic.

The backstory is lovely - Vaclav wants only to be a famous magician one day, with Lena his assistant, and the main goal a show on Coney Island.

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"He sits there for a long time, feeling very sad for himself, although he is at the same time very happy to feel cozy inside of his jacket, and to drink the Dr Pepper from the can with a straw, and to look out the window at the people walking outside on the sidewalk, and even though this soda is almost one-half the cost of a possible trip to Coney Island to see the Sideshow, he thinks sometimes you know that it is a very long road to become a famous magician, and sometimes you have to spend your last dollar on buying a soda so that you have something to be grateful for that day, even if it lasts just one small piece of time." - one of my favorite pieces of Vaclav & Lena

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What have you been reading lately?

the books on my dresser:

 Charley Harper: An Illustrated Life by Todd Oldham

 Book of my London/Madrid/Paris trip photos I created with Blurb - I highly recommend it!

(I chose the square hardcover with wraparound image)

 Bookplates, a present from Rachel!

Dog family.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend ahead of you! I hope to do a few more book-related posts in the days to come.

xo, Amanda