Amanda Bucknill is inspired by images of the personification of luck and chance from antiquity until the present day. Having studied anthropology, Amanda returned to Amersham Art College to study a foundation course and then printmaking and sculpture.

Amanda has loved art since childhood and in recent years she has been able to devote more time to painting. She is motivated more by the heart than the head, finding that it’s interesting to work on different subjects including landscapes, people and pets, always using a medium which suits the subject and her emotional response to it. Amanda works in oils, watercolour, charcoal, graphite and mixed media. Amanda is happy to receive commissions.

I’m simply happy when I’m making. I consider myself lucky to have lived my life as a maker. I have been creating things for half a century. In that time I have been a ceramicist, a painter, a gardener … the ‘alchemy of making’ is a lifelong journey. For decades I was a professional sculptural ceramicist. In later years I added painting in oils, layering colour and scratching into the surface as I do in clay. I am led by a relationship between nature and materials. At the heart of my practice is my love of growing things, of growing me.

I have been working in batik for nearly 40 years. Batik is a resist technique of painting. I paint a pattern of hot wax onto my paper or fabric using a special spouted tool, and then paint dye over the surface. The design can be pure pattern, or it can be a complete painting built up from 10 or so layers of wax and dyes.
Much of my inspiration comes from beautifully dilapidated buildings like those I search out on my travels, in India in particular, and structures like seaside piers which I find closer to home. The exciting thing about batik for me is that I never have complete control because more often than not the technique takes over and gives my painting that certain something I can’t achieve with paint. It may be the unpredictable spidery lines of the crackling, or the fact that the wax and dye on paper give you a sort of abstract effect – which is perfect for me because I don’t like perfect! I was for many years one of the tutors at the well-known Art in Action, and I still exhibit widely.

I rekindled my love for painting in the early part of the century when I retired. Since then I have been very much involved with the Guild and my painting journey has taken many different paths. I love watercolour and pastels but my favourites now are oils and acrylics. Love doing portraits but I suppose my love of the countryside will never stop me doing landscapes.