About Amanda
Artist/Author Bio
Amanda Denney is a portrait artist and historical fiction author. Her debut novel, Sweepings of the Street, has won a Reader Views Bronze Award for teen literature, been a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for books by young authors, and received five-star reviews from Literary Titan and Reader Views. Amanda has accumulated a portfolio of human and animal portraits, discovery-themed multimedia pieces, and silhouette-based tiny art. As part of her discovery portfolio in 2021, Amanda painted two pieces inspired by astronaut and artist Nicole Stott, and she and Nicole were later able to exchange space-related art prints. Splitting her time between Marlborough, Massachusetts, and Saratoga Springs, New York, Amanda has had booths at the Kill Tide Arts & Craft Festival in Brewster, Massachusetts, and the Saratoga Book Festival Literary Marketplace.
Artist Statement
I am an artist and author exploring the human experience through time and space in my work. My art focuses on honest portrayals of people and nature, and I use my work to encourage viewers to look at the world through different perspectives. In 2021, I created a discovery-themed art portfolio that follows humans as they find their place in the universe through the lens of ocean and land travel, space exploration, the study of the past and present, and individual experience. My writing is character-driven and includes mental health, coming of age, and other themes that transcend time. My novel, Sweepings of the Street, follows a young girl through the harrowing journey of growing up during the British Industrial Revolution. In a world racked with change, Sarah and her friends are forced to take on responsibilities before they’re ready. I began my artistic practice around age 14, and that informs my work as I create art that tells honest stories and encourages change.