Amanda Johnson was born in Woodriff, Wisconsin. She graduated in 2005 from the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a degree in fine arts. She has lived and studied in
New York City, Paris, Prague and India where she has gained inspiration and techniques that
she has incorporated into her various paintings, murals and commissioned works.
The foundation of her work shows an immense spirit of creativity and expression that is
uniquely her own. She transcends the limits of the painting medium, allowing for a process by
which she merges the creative approach with her academic training. She considers her abstract
expressionism style to be realist paintings of an abstract subject matter, with a foundation from
traditional to conceptual in nature. Worked on over several months typically, the pieces are rich
in texture, depth and dimension-a process of pure emotional expression in which only at the
final stages does the painting begin to reveal its diversity of form, function and theme.
In 2008, she trained with realist painters including renowned Arts Students League instructor,
David Leffel at the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in Chicago. She began experimenting
with the chiaroscuro technique, an art form dating back to the Renaissance that focused on
the expression of light and shadow. She continues to paint in many different styles, forms,
techniques and mediums in order to maximize the creative expression that is fundamental to
her work. Amanda held her first solo exhibition at the Palette & Chisel in February of 2009,
which synthesized her training of abstract and realism.
Amanda currently resides in Key West and routinely paints in her studio and en plein air
(outdoor/on sight painting). Since moving to the island, she has invited the public to view her
art, both in retrospective and new works format. Additionally, she has participated in several
local exhibitions and as such, continues to grow and expand in many aspects as an artist, both
spiritually and professionally.
Amanda intends to paint her new and varied works on panels, canvas and other grounds in her
studio, working mostly on small to medium sized works with a subject matter consisting of the
vast images and inspirations garnered from her many daily experiences.
