Amanda Jones
Amanda Jones is a self-taught artist who works predominantly in gouache, pastel and pencil as well as occasionally creating works in acrylic on canvas. Her work covers many themes, ranging from marine environments to urban landscapes in addition to botanical still lifes and animal studies. Water is often a vital element within Amanda’s work, as she loves the interplay of movement, colour and light that it creates. Amanda was a member of the Great Britain synchronised swimming team for nine years and from this time she has developed an instinctive understanding of the quality of water and how it behaves. In Amanda’s most recent works, she has begun to explore creating images ‘at night’ and examine how the darkness can contrast with and enhance colour to create both vibrant and atmospheric images.
Like photographs in black and white, Amanda Jones’ studies in graphite pencils are enhanced by the restricted shades of monochrome. Limiting her colour palette, she also increases the importance of form and highlights the subtle distinctions in tone and shade, creating a more engaging image. When painting, Amanda uses a selection of incredibly fine brushes (most frequently 000 and 0000 in size) to complete her works, creating extremely detailed pieces that take a considerable length of time to complete. Therefore, Amanda works mainly from photographs taken with her Pentax k-x. She is often found rooting around gardens and hedges, adding to her bank of images. This also gives her a wonderful excuse to visit rivers, coastal towns and harbours.Some of her works are interpretations of these places she visits and photographs, remaining easily identifiable and often true to subject. However, others are a combination of elements, stitched together from a variety of different locations in order to create a new and unique place, only existing in her mind and on paper.
Amanda creates realistic imaginary worlds and studies alike, in creating her highly detailed works, Amanda focuses on the tiny elements that slowly combine within images to create a complete picture. In this way she hopes that ‘the viewer will work in reverse- seeing the whole picture before being drawn in to discover the tiny intricacies and surprises within.’ In this way Amanda’s work is multifaceted, you are easily able to get lost within her complex images. Amanda Jones is also a member of the Wiltshire Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers through which she has learnt to spin a variety of fibres in to yarn.
