Amanda had the opportunity to live on the Navajo Reservation in the Four Corners area, in Shiprock, New Mexico. The beautiful surroundings were a huge inspiration to paint, and Amanda decided to take her art a little more seriously.

Now Amanda does commissions for some of the funnest organizations, like the Utah Dressage Society and the Bar-T Rodeo Company. In between portrait commissions, she likes to paint wildlife, cowgirls with horses, and desert landscapes (usually with horses in the background).

Happy to be back in the beautiful Utah valley of Sanpete, Amanda lives and paints in an historic adobe home in Spring City, a town that her ancestors settled. She lives there with her husband Mark, her dogs and her horses.

Artist Statement:

My paintings are who I am - sometimes who I wish I could be. Art is my way of escaping life for a little while to be in a place where I have a little more control.

A great deal of my work is inspired by the farm and ranch lifestyle I grew up in. Horses and Cowgirls are my true love, but any kind of life interests me, especially life from the farm.

Today it seems that most people are in such a hurry. There are way too many things to keep us entertained. Everybody wants a bigger house or a faster car, and kids just want the next video game. My paintings are my way of showing how great things can be without all that.

website: www.awilleystudios.com