Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Nolan Booker.
Hi Amanda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! I’m Amanda Nolan Booker and I’m a painter currently based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I think I knew in my heart I wanted to be an artist from an early age, but it was a winding journey to get here. Like many, I was afraid to pursue my dream. I couldn’t admit that to myself, of course. After about a decade of career changes and never quite feeling like myself, I decided to go to school to get my BFA in Painting and Drawing. I graduated in 2020 and have been pursuing my art full-time since then.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has absolutely not been an easy road. Like I mentioned before, it took me years to even gain the courage to pursue art as a career. Those years were filled with insecurity and unhappiness. Now that I’m professionally making paintings, I’m so much happier, but there are still the challenges that come with developing bodies of work and running a small business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I primarily work in oils, making paintings on canvas and linen. For the past two years, I’ve been working on ‘Arrangements’, a series of floral paintings that is equal parts nostalgia and embrace of the future. My favorite work from this body of work is the Heirloom series. Making the Heirloom paintings is grueling and exciting and just about all the things you can experience condensed into a month of work. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking is so integral to being an artist. I can’t think of a single aspect of my job that doesn’t involve some measure of vulnerability. Some things get easier the more you do them, like applying for residencies or releasing a new series of work to the public. There are bad months when the rejections keep rolling in or sales are happening that can make the risks seem meaningless. The slumps never last though and the hard work pays off.
Contact Info:
- Email: amandanolanbooker@gmail.com
- Website: www.amandanolanbooker.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandanolanbooker/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandanolanbooker/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandanolanbooker
