Life & Work with Amanda Lopez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Lopez.

Hi Amanda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! My name is Amanda and I am a Bay Area native currently loving life in sunny San Diego. Growing up, I always considered myself a creative person. I sang in the choir and did musicals. I saved magazine clippings, ticket stubs, and anything that I thought I could use later to make collages or put in scrapbooks. But, I never quite knew how this urge for all things creative would materialize as I got older. In college, this transformed my studies to include a minor in Art History, learning about the classic European painters of the 20th century, Abstract Impressionism, the Pop Art movement’s cultural punch, and much more. Fast forward to nearly three years ago when my brother gifted me painting classes at Art on 30th in North Park for Christmas. Since then, I have immersed myself in the wonderful world of not just studying painting… but doing it. As a result of stay-at-home orders and the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve taken the time to expand my techniques through videos, books, and online resources/classes. This, coupled with endless trial and error of styles and skills, has helped me to develop my artistic voice. I’m learning new things every day and am so grateful to see where each new skill takes me and my journey. I have no doubt it will be forever evolving.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Struggles tend to be difficult to talk about, and that is a huge reason why art is often a vehicle to express and release my feelings, whether positive or negative. Over the past few years, my mom has been battling cancer. She and I are very close, and the struggle for her and our family is something that far too many are familiar with. Through this, I have learned a lot about the fragility of life and health. Not to sound cliché, but I’ve learned that it is important to live life to the fullest, which for me translates into diving into my passions and interests head first, leaving few regrets behind. Watching her strength and commitment to never give up is fuel for me to paint the things I said I could never paint, sing the songs I thought I could never sing, and share my creative expressions with people without fear of judgment.

Another glaring challenge I’d be remiss not to mention is something that has hit us all this year: the stress, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear surrounding COVID-19. The pandemic has affected us all in varying ways, and it has been difficult to navigate the state of our world. Many of us have paused to take inventory of what is important to our survival, happiness, and overall well-being. For me, this has meant that I have leaned more heavily in to painting, collaging, and playing music. I learned that these are not just things I do for fun but vital to my mental clarity and strength. During these unknown times, I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone -haven’t we all-and more specifically, I’ve pushed my creativity to new limits.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My passion is creating colorful mixed media paintings, both abstract and figurative. I recently launched the first batch of paintings in my new collection called “Eternal Celebration.” I am extremely excited about this because it mixes my love of the arts with my passion for giving back. The collection celebrates the holiday of Dia de Los Muertos. This is very special to me as it is a way for me to pay tribute to my Mexican heritage through colorful mixed media sugar skulls or calaveras. What makes me even more excited about this collection is that I am donating 50% of each purchase from the collection to Border Kindness, an organization that provides asylum-seekers, migrants, and refugees with the resources and services that they need. Their programs are designed most specifically to protect the most vulnerable – women, children, elderly, and families. So far, over half of the paintings in the collection have gone to new homes, and I look forward to creating more pieces to support this cause and other causes in the future.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
This year I have seen, at least within my own community, a push to support small businesses, entrepreneurs, minority-owned businesses, and the like. This is something I hope continues to grow. I understand that the convenience of big-box retailers is hard to deny, but the happiness and pride that a small business or small creator, like myself, feels when someone supports their work or purchases an art piece is indescribable. I also believe that while people have been quarantining at home, they have become more aware of their spaces. I’ve noticed a shift in people’s desire to surround themselves with things that make them happy. Art is one of those things. I heard someone say recently that people live happier lives in the presence of art. I couldn’t agree more.

Contact Info:

• Email: amanda.lopez.art@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanda.makes.art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.lopez.art