A M A N D A MC L E A N
Amanda is a nationally renowned Pastel Artist who has been painting with the medium for over 35 years & teaching for almost 30 years. She has a passion for the Australian landscape and coastline in its varying forms and is recognised for her sensitive interpretations, especially her rendering of clouds, skies, and water. Her paintings are often hailed for their sensitivity and ‘sense of place’.
She has written extensively about the Pastel medium for Australian Artist Magazine and International Artist Magazine, and several other International Publications. She was an editorial consultant to Australian Artist for many years and they described her as ‘one of the country's leading pastellists’. Amanda has worked closely with the Australian Company Art Spectrum to produce new pastel colours and paper types, and to test new materials.
A popular and sought after tutor, her teaching style is positive, empathetic and she is generous in sharing her knowledge. Amanda has taught many classes & workshops, both nationally & internationally. She currently conducts private Pastel and Sketch classes near her home in Murrumbateman, just outside of Canberra, ACT and Master classes and workshops from her private studio. She teaches Pastel workshops and Sketchbook Classes regularly for Art Groups and these are available on request nationally. She is also available for Artists Critiques and Judging of Art Shows
Amanda has a long history of group & solo exhibitions since the mid-Eighties, including an international exhibition. Her work is collected both nationally and internationally.
ARTISTS STATEMENT
I find painting emotionally and intellectually satisfying and it is a driving force in my life. My world is firmly entrenched in my rural surrounds & encompasses deep-seated feelings for the land and my place in it. From a childhood spent in the ‘country’ exploring the landscape, to my life now, in a rural area, my close connection to the landscape is obvious in my work. I feel & see, in the landscape, the changes of light, mood, colour and texture with the changing of the seasons.
I love the immediacy of pastel; it allows me, through its hands on application, a direct physical connection to my work not possible on the other end of a paintbrush. I lay down a tapestry of sometimes surprising colours to create images full of reflected light and colour. Through my work I hope to stir some emotional response, memory or feeling that cannot be expressed in words, I hope to transport the viewer to a quieter place.
