I’m excited to share another incredibly inspiring Artist out of Charleston (see Teil’s interview here). I love Amanda’s charleston and ocean inspired works of art. The two prints she sent me (c/o) go perfectly in Tucks fishing themed room. Which is a work in progress… as is much of our house.
Amanda’s work is truly art that both JB and I can agree upon – which is not often the case (:
All About Amanda McLenon:
Hometown: Belleville, MI
Current Town: Charleston, SC
Amanda in a few words:
Passionate, smart, creative and silly.
Who were your role models growing up?
My grandfather, who was a flea market treasure hunter and who could fix anything. My high school biology teacher who was also a famous black and white photographer who studied with Ansel Adams. Any of course my mom, who is an outgoing, strong willed woman with a great sense of humor.
What inspires you and your work?
I have always been a nature lover, and I spent the first few years of my career as a high school biology teacher. I came to Charleston, SC to study marine biology, and found that I could express my love and appreciation for fish and birds through art. My goal was always to be a conduit for scientific understanding and the urgency of environmental issues between scientists and the general public. Painting allows me a unique way to do this.
What are you sipping on while you paint?
Water or kombucha- I am a bit of a health nut!
What does a normal day look like for you?
Ironically, through my new career I found I am a night owl. I will often wake up late, 9:30 or so, have coffee and take my dog Anni for a long walk to the dock to look for dolphins. Then I have a big breakfast, and sit down at the computer to start my day. My afternoons are often spent on a bike ride or practicing yoga. It is not until late night (sometimes as late as 5 am!) that I paint. I think it is the quiet and lack of distraction that makes this the most inspiring time for me.
Favorite Verse or quote:
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced” Vincent Van Gogh. I think this applies to everything in life that we fear, and that it would serve us well to use this philosophy.
Also: When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key
to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I
grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the
assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
— John Lennon
Favorite Vacation Spot: Asheville, NC
What’s your ten year plan?
I would love to live in the mountains near Asheville, at least part time. I love the Lowcountry marshes in Charleston, but a walk in the woods feeds my soul. I hope for my artwork to be in many more homes by then, and to find new ways to contribute to conservation efforts through my painting.
Tell us about how you started painting:
I discovered I could paint completely by accident. In 2009, I changed my mind about a project with an old window pane and ended up painting a fish on it, in reverse on the glass. Since then, my art career has taken on a life of its own. I was invited to exhibit in a gallery, have been requested to paint commissions for individuals and for fishing tournaments, and was even awarded the Lowcountry Artist of the Year award in 2012. It is so surreal. If you told me that I would be making a living as an artist someday I would have said what everyone says to me, “I can’t even draw a stick figure!” I think my last formal art class was middle school- so this gift was a complete surprise.
