mnartists.org: Amanda Downs

Not Afraid of Snakes

Amanda Downs — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:56:35 GMT

Watercolor on paper, a personal project dealing with the Biblical tale of Eve and the Serpent. [i]After all these years, I see that I was mistaken about Eve in the beginning; it is better to live outside the Garden with her than inside it without her....I should be sorry to have that voice fall silent and pass out of my life.[/i] - excerpt from Adam's Diary by Mark Twain [i]I am the first wife; and in the last wife I shall be repeated.[/i] -- excerpt from Eve's Diary by Mark Twain

Untitled (Tornado Weather)

Amanda Downs — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:12:20 GMT

A contemplative painting of feet...descending or ascending? The perception of the viewer determines the direction of the mysterious traveler in the stormy sky. Oil on board, 18 x 24 inches.

Mary (plaster cast drawing)

Amanda Downs — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:19:23 GMT

Charcoal drawing made in class at The Atelier in Minneapolis.

Portrait of M

Amanda Downs — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:40:36 GMT

Charcoal and chalk on tinted paper. This is a portrait of my husband. I love the angles of his face and the quiet energy of his personality. I wanted to capture those qualities in a realistic portrait.

E's Back (Charcoal study)

Amanda Downs — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 04:10:24 GMT

Charcoal on paper, 14 x 17 inches. Charcoal study for painting.

Charcoal study for Emily portrait

Amanda Downs — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:43:43 GMT

Charcoal drawing, study for an oil portrait. 18 x 24 inches.

Vanitas with Apples

Amanda Downs — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:08:19 GMT

The Vanitas is a type of still life painting showing objects meant to remind the viewer of the impermanence of life. "Vanitas" is a Latin term meaning "emptiness" and loosely translated corresponds to the meaninglessness of earthly life and the transient nature of vanity. It refers to the arts, learning and time. This painting has morbid subject matter by today's standards but it is meant to shake the viewer into taking action in a positive way. Seize the day, do all you can now because life is short.

Malie, Watercolor Study

Amanda Downs — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:04:02 GMT

Watercolor study for a portrait. Approx. 6 x 8 inches.

Teardrop

Amanda Downs — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 03:41:25 GMT

Watercolor and ink on Canson paper. 4 x 6 inches.

Red Hood

Amanda Downs — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:27:10 GMT

Woodburned image with acrylic paint and 23K gold leaf. Approx. 9 x 13

Barn Owl Skull

Amanda Downs — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 02:33:42 GMT

Frankenstein's Notebook (One)

Amanda Downs — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:15:25 GMT

Pyrography and mixed media on cotton rag paper. This is the first in a series based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein tale. I'm exploring the creation of the monster using anatomical imagery burned into distressed paper. Frankenstein sought godlike control over life and death, never considering the consequences of his experiments and creation. The pyrography technique creates a sepia tone effect. This evokes the antiquity and secrecy of Frankenstein's experimental notebooks.

Legacy

Amanda Downs — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 03:05:18 GMT

A meditation on family history, ancestry and the influences that mold each generation. This piece is created using pyrography on paper, various pigments and copper.

OMO

Amanda Downs — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 04:37:25 GMT

In the 23rd canto of Dante's Purgatory he notes that the emaciated human face spells out the word omo, or "man." Each eye is an O, the nose and superciliary arches form an M. Our modern world is a swirl of distractions from the fact of our mortality. It's important to think about it and become comfortable, if not comforted, by the idea that life is a cycle. All things have a beginning and an end. Time is short; what you do with yours matters. SOLD.

Bacchus

Amanda Downs — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 03:15:31 GMT

12 x 24 inches, pyrography on birch panel. Bacchus is the mythological Greek god of wine and revelry. NFS