lifestyle

Voulez Vous: It makes you feel 'happy, energised and hopeful' - and it's made with a paintbrush.

 

By ELISSA RATLIFF

It’s rare for local artists to have such a strong presence on social media. But that’s not the case with Noosa-based artist Amanda Brooks.

For months I have seen her bright contemporary work in my newsfeed. People share her work. She has a 6500 strong social media following. And after looking at a selection of her work it didn’t surprise me one bit.

Why?

Just looking at one piece of Amanda’s work makes you want to look at all of it:

She has studied floral design, interior design and graphic design, but Amanda says she finds her some of her inspiration online.

“I’m addicted to Pinterest and find a lot of beautiful images and subject to paint. I also collect a lot of interiors magazines , and am equally interested in photography, so I am never short of references to paint” she said.

The mum of three comes from a family of artists, dancers and musicians and has a deep love for painting. But she also creates art on commission. 

“I do enjoy following a brief for a customer , but I have to be in the right frame of mind . It can’t be forced . I have to choose the right time and day to follow my never ending list of commissions. I adore creating art from my heart. I’m very spontaneous and go with my gut.”

This spontaneity can be seen throughout Amanda’s collections. Depicting everything from seasons, nature and the bush to the beach, Amanda’s creations really do cover everything. And not one looks out of place.

“Most people describe my art as soulful and they can feel the love that goes into each and every painting. My art makes people feel happy, energised and it brings hope.”

And we couldn’t agree more.

To see more of Amanda’s work follow her on Facebook here, or check out her website here.

This post is part of Mamamia’s art endeavour, the Voulez-Vous Project. Every week we celebrate emerging artists, designers, illustrators, creators and women who knit using their vaginas. (Kidding. Maybe.)

Our aim: to help the internet become a slightly more beautiful, captivating, or thought-provoking place by making art accessible. To find out more about the Voulez-Vous project, click here. Click here to see all the previous Voulez-Vous posts.

Do you know an artist (or are YOU an artist) who creates beautiful or thought-provoking work and whom you think should be featured on Mamamia’s Voulez-Vous Project? Send an email to info@mamamia.com.au.

Want more from Mamamia? We’ve just launched a new podcast called Mamamia Out Loud.

Hosted by Kate Leaver with Mia Freedman and Rosie Waterland, it’s a smart, funny, candid chat about sexting, clean-eating, The Bachelor, Lena Dunham, George and Amal Clooney, and (inexplicably) vintage Polly Pockets.

Download the very first episode — The Bachelor Aftermath Episode. You can get it on iTunes here. Or download the audio file directly here.