About
Amanda is a landscape and plein air painter whose main muse is California. Born and raised in Marin County, she traveled extensively and lived far afield only to return to the land and coastline she loves best.
Early plans to be a painter took a backseat when Amanda fell hard for archaeology. The study of ancient rock art sites, theories concerning the origin of art, and collaborative projects with indigenous communities became the bulk of her career. She also authored two non-fiction books, excavated sites internationally, and helped develop numerous museum exhibits for cultural sites and historic places.
Today, Amanda’s come full circle—back to her great and true love, painting—and all that came before culminates in how she makes art now.
Amanda holds a Master of Arts in Archaeology from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from The University of California, Berkeley (Phi Beta Kappa). She is also a fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, London, and recipient of the Connie Smith Siegel Landscape Painting award (2025).
Artist Statement
I paint places I love. I’m drawn to poetic scenes and dramatic light. Bold shadows and boxy shapes, backlit hills, and golden hour. For years, I worked as an archaeologist. I studied the land to understand it in a deep way. I dug for that knowledge with a trowel, but now I use a paintbrush.
What connects a person or community to a place? What stories does the land hold? What meaning is seen and what is unseen? When I’m out painting, I’m always thinking about the layers of a place. The buried history underfoot. Deep time. Environmental change. Places where the sheer beauty of a spot has inspired people to gather for generations. Or landmarks that forge a sense of shared identity.
I like crossroads. Sunsets. Highways. I like it all even more with good light. I’m drawn to scenes where there’s a relationship between wild beauty and human stories.