Amanda Spaid
"Gaze" 2016 Colored pencils on wood 16' x 20"
How did you get into debt?
Student loans to pay for a private art school (I got a scholarship, but it paid for maybe 1/4 of my total tuition. Aside from that it's just life--putting groceries and bills with credit cards because my clients are late in paying or a commission fell through, buying supplies on credit, etc.
"Guy W Spaid Sr" 2015 Pencils on paperwork, 8" x 10"
How does your economic reality effect your art?
Absolutely. I look back at my work when I was in high school and then wonder what the hell happened. I'm technically proficient but lately it feels like I've been drawing what I've always considered "Bathroom Art;" small, unobtrusive, cute work of birds and other animals that someone might buy on impulse and put in their bathroom. I've been so concerned about trying to appeal to a broad audience that it's really hampered me creatively.
"Screech Owl" 2015 Colored pencils on wood 8" x 10"
Would your work look different if you weren't in debt?:
Absolutely. I look back at my work when I was in high school and then wonder what the hell happened. I'm technically proficient but lately it feels like I've been drawing what I've always considered "Bathroom Art;" small, unobtrusive, cute work that someone might buy on impulse and put in their bathroom. I've been so concerned about trying to appeal to a broad audience that it's really hampered me creatively.
"La Monarchia" 2016 Colored pencils on wood 16" x 20"
www.amandspaid.com