I had the pleasure of being interview for the local Fort Saskatchewan newspaper as part of my Blue Pomegranate art exhibit! Tonight’s the night for my Artist Talk. I can’t wait to share with everyone my process, inspiration and a personal tour of the gallery. Starts at 7pm hope you can make it out!
Check out my radio interview below and follow the link to the full article 📰
Amanda Milke is a fan of ‘putting the kitchen sink’ into her artwork. It’s a busy time for the Fort Saskatchewan artist. She has displays at MIX 107 and is the artist on exhibit outside of the Shell Theatre for the month of June. Her 31-piece…
Source: Local artist relishing in busy month – FortSaskOnline.com
Well it’s official! I am all set up at the Fort Saskatchewan ALFA Gallery.
It feels like it’s been a long time coming but it’s here.
Here’s a sneak peak of the set up.
So if you’re in the area please check it out and sign the guestbook.
Also, all works on exhibit are available for sale.
I’ll be posting more pictures and video and my interview with the local radio station I did yesterday are coming so stay tune!
Cheers,
Amanda
You know what artists usually do best?
CREATE!
We are good at using pictures, colors and textures to convey our thoughts and feelings.
But in order to make those creations relate able to our viewers we need to do “The Talk”.
“The Talk” often fills artists with anxiety.
I think this anxiety partly comes from a fear of not being able to clearly and adequately express in words what we have already expressed on canvas.
It’s that old adage that a picture is worth a 1000 words.
I think it’s more accurate to say that some things, some experiences can’t be fully described in any other way but artistically and even then the art form used may still only be grasping at the coat tails of those experiences.
Then add in the problem of subjectivity, how you see and I see will be different.
Even how we perceive the same colors will vary from person to person and at this point a lot of Artists will take a hard pass on that “Talk” because they are scared to put themselves out there for fear of rejection.
Who can blame them, Society today places an emphasis on living life on fast forward click that thumbs up button or angry face and move on.
But we were made for so much more than that.
Imagine if we took time, actual time not just a scroll through to get to know someone, to learn from their experience and to share yours to actually interact with each other.
Can you imagine what the world would look like if we saw people, individuals for who they truly are?
You see friends I’m a Christian Artist not just because I believe in a Creative God but I believe in his creative process and that’s you.
You! Each and every one of you is a beautiful work of art and you are living a life that I’m not and there is value in sharing those experiences with each other.
And that is why I am doing “The Talk”.
It may not be as eloquent as I’d like, it may fall short of describing a particular piece from my original artistic vision, but I firmly believe there is value in our interaction and I’m willing to risk getting up in front of a crowd of people to share it with you, so I hope you’ll take the time to join me.
To our shared experiences!
Cheers,
Amanda
My Exhibit “Blue Pomegranate” will be on display for the month of June with the official meet and greet happening on June 11 at 7pm and the Artist Talk happening on June 14th at 7pm at the ALFA (Alberta Lottery Fund Art) Gallery for “The Talk” The gallery is located in the heart of the Sherritt Cultural Pavilion at the Dow Centennial Centre 8700 84 St, Fort Saskatchewan, AB T8L 4P5
Exhibit Hours
Thursdays & Fridays
11 am – 2 pm
Also open during performances at the Shell
Nothing is a better word picture to me of the relationship of God with humanity than that of an Artist preparing for an exhibit.
You see right now I sit in my studio surrounded by a ton of artwork “in progress” as I get ready for my upcoming solo exhibit in June.
Each piece needs something different to turn it into the artwork I had intended it to be. Some may just need a few changes here and there while others maybe so off course that whole sections need to be gesoed and started over so that piece can be transformed into it’s intended image to show at the exhibit.
Friends that’s what God wants for us. We are very much his artwork, his works “in progress”. He wants to smooth out those rough edges, fill us in with full color and transform us into the individual beautiful masterpiece he intended us to be ready to exhibit in front of heaven and earth while proclaiming “it is Good”!
I know the thought of handing over those rough areas on our canvas to God to gesoe over and paint over can seem daunting. We’ve often been so accustomed to seeing them there that we can’t picture it any other way but God knows what you were made to look like and though there may seem to be pain and fear in the process, there is always Joy in the transformation. So whatever God might be nudging you to let him work on in your life remember be brave and fearless and trust the Master Artist because friend you will be more beautiful and so much closer to the masterpiece you were made to be when he’s done.
❤
Amanda
Just one month away is my latest Solo Art Exhibit “Blue Pomegranate” I’ve been busy working away on art for this special exhibit.
In addition to the set up I will be hosting a Meet & Greet on June 11th and an in depth artist talk and demos of my process on June 14th at 7pm I’ll be posting the event pages for these shortly but wanted to give you the heads up!
I really do hope you’ll come out, see the art and chat with me on one or both of these dates 🖌
So sometimes paintings just seem to happen. I’m going about my business and then a canvas kind of screams at me and the next thing I know I have a new painting on the go. That’s exactly what happened with this painting. I wanted to do a lamb piece to go with my series of Biblical inspired animals but I hadn’t planned this lol.
I sat down one morning and it just flowed out of me by the time lunch had come the layout was complete and that’s the way this painting kept evolving. Every time I sat down it was a whirlwind of creation and the next step would be complete. It’s crazy how God can use my talents for his purpose. I thought all along that this would be an Easter piece and I thought for the longest time I would call it “the Passover lamb” but the more I painted and embellished and layered and texturized the more it seemed like it was a celebratory piece. Not a pre-cross sacrificial painting but a joyful conquered death let’s party type of painting and so what’s more jubilant than a wedding.
So here the lamb is clean and radiant. The flowers are in bloom, he is crowned and gleaming wearing his bridegroom clothes of covered in song and ready for the church his bride. The work has been done and now it’s time to celebrate.
Each sets of words woven into the lambs wool is a hymn title, I emphasized the trinity by crowning in in triplicate “holy”s on his forehead.
Enter a caption
He is clean and pure adorned in gold and sparkling rhinestones that flash and glimmer in the light and he seems to radiate and glow.
The birds who fly and adorn him with music singing are gold and jeweled but pale in comparison to the light surrounding him.
New life grows up from his feet and even the earth is growing with hymns embedded in it. I did a double emphasis on “art” along the bottom of the piece because I do believe God enjoys art and to be praised through it as I’ve spoke on in previous posts.
And finally the lambs position of facing straight out at the viewer was intentional because Biblically we as Christians make up the body of the Church, and the Church is the Bride of Christ so here the Bridegroom, Christ is looking at us the Church on his Wedding day as through him we are made pure and holy and most assuredly ready to celebrate.
I used a large variety of materials to create this painting including genuine peridot stone chips, rhinestone crystals, gold leaf, paper clay, modeling paste, acrylic, oil paint sticks, beads and old choir music / hymns.
I’d love to hear what you think of this painting or any of my other works. You can comment below or email me and I’ll be happy to respond.
Cheers,
Amanda
