This is a short biography of the Artist. Get to know me!

Hi there! My name is Amanda and I am the artist behind Amanda Raymond Artworks. Welcome, and thank you for stopping by.

My introduction to art was born and bred during my childhood years. My mother was a prolific painter of landscapes and portraits and no matter where we lived she had her studio in our home. The house always smelled like oil paints and turpentine. If you know the smell, you know.

I now live tucked away secluded in the mountains of California. Many say the interior of my home is like a jungle, as it sprawls with lush houseplants. Like my mother, my studio is in my home. I hand-painted a sign that says “Studio” and hung it at its entrance (between a couple of plants, no doubt).

My art comes from my love of nature. My favorite subjects, thus far, are animals and flowers. I am at home in nature. In nature, the distractions are few to the artist. I’ve discovered that the distractions that do present themselves are generated through a bird’s song, a brisk breeze, or the sounds of a cozy, rainy day (yes, we have rain in California). They are birthed through the heartbeat of the earth. I work primarily in pastel pencil and pan pastel, graphite, and colored pencil. I also enjoy working in watercolor, alcohol inks, gouache, pen and ink, and the one oil painting I did.

I use only top quality, professional artist supplies. Everything I use is archival and lightfast. Each piece will last a lifetime under standard household or museum environments.

I take my art very seriously. I feel honored to use whatever talent the good Lord has blessed me with to bring joy and pleasure to others. It is my intent to bring glory to God through my work. It is very humbling to draw, a rhinoceros, for example, and say “Lord, how did You make this glorious creature?!…… I can barely draw it”. Thus, everything I produce is by the grace of God.

Sincerely,