AMANDA CLARK-PRICE SOLO SHOW
No stranger to the local art scene , mixed media artist , Amanda Clark-Price , will finally be stepping into the spotlight with her first solo exhibition that represents her own work in progress to date .
Originally from Liverpool but now living and working in Burscough , Amanda has always been keen to pass her skills onto others at her classes at Southport Contemporary Arts and in on-line workshops . After many years developing artwork in others , Amanda is now really enjoying having the space to focus on producing her own distinctive work for the exhibition .
Amanda explains : “ I had always produced artwork to support my teaching practice but now have the time to develop work for myself . Most of the work in this exhibition is abstract in nature . I wanted to explore layers , colours and mixing of media . My style of work ranges from abstract , semi-abstract and realism - often brightly coloured and layered with collage ”.
Her toolkit for reinvention is all embracing : “ I use drawing , collage , print , acrylic , watercolour , papier-mâché , pencil and pen in my mixed media pieces and I also enjoy ‘ just ’ pencil ”.
Amanda operates like a prospector seeking out the hidden ‘ gold ’ in the discarded ephemera of life , attacking each project with the serendipity of the unchartered traveller , with open arms to the consequences : “ I do little preparatory work . I start literally with a blank canvas then look for scraps of paper amongst my worryingly large collection of discarded music manuscripts , old maps and books to use as collage . The pieces usually develop organically and seem to grow as I work . I stick things on with tape until I like the composition then glue them down . Next , I sometimes look for words or phrases in the text to outline . Some of them relate to the work or have simply made me smile or captured my imagination . The pieces of maps are usually Lancashire , Sefton and Merseyside with certain places highlighted ”.
The rhythm of the assembled imagery within her complex compositions runs parallel to her love of music as can be seen in ‘ Unfinished Journey ’ and her latest composition , ‘ Triptych ’: “ I often break up the spaces with a mixture of curved and straight lines . I often use the treble clef symbol in my work either in collage form or as a motif . It has become my signature calling card ”.
Colour remains paramount to the development of each artwork : “ I take my inspiration from a variety of sources . From the natural world , the changing colours of leaves and sky , rain on metal and painted surfaces . I often aim for contrast of colour and look back to the support of good old colour theory . I work initially with acrylic paint , adding it in washes then more thickly in layers before adding spattered areas of texture . I sometimes add permanent marker to sharpen and highlight shapes or add drawn detail ”.
Recently , Amanda joined with the Ainsdale Discovery Centre as part of the national “ Back From the Brink ” programme with their own “ Gems in the Dunes ” project along the Sefton coast .
“ I ran three online workshops during lockdown designed so that people who had little or no art equipment and materials could take part . One was drawing just using pencil and kitchen roll or tissue , another painting with coffee and the last one scribbling with black pen . We had some great results . I supplied images of the dunes at Ainsdale and we completed the work over Zoom .”
Amanda ’ s enthusiasm has also recently been directed at the SCA Young Creatives who rallied to her callout : “ I ran weekly sessions during term time for ages 7-15 ( pretty much full following current guidelines ) and they have just completed a mixed media Cubism project and will be looking next at Frida Kahlo , Dia de Los Muertos and self-image ”.
This exclusive showing is certainly not one to be missed . Amanda ’ s distinctive artwork will be on display at the ArtHouse , Eastbank Street from 28th September – 9th October 2021 . The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10.00-15.00 . Saturday 11.00-16.00 .
In line with current Government guidance , the SCA team have introduced strict measures to keep visitors to the Gallery as safe as possible : There will be a policy of 2 visitors at a time , with social distancing once inside , and hand sanitize dispensers at the door to use on arrival .
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