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While this is from last year, I thought I would let you all know about the opportunity I had with Sketchbox in March 2021 creating a tutorial on how to paint pet portraits.
Getting used to guiding other artists (read: guiding adult artists) on how-to-do projects is nerve-racking in its own right, it was a fun experience for me to talk through my process on how to get your pet to look like…well, your pet!
Check it out below:
Written by Maggie Lattke with Golden State Arts
Amanda Jorgenson is a wildlife artist based in Seattle, Washington. She has been a full-time artist for the past four years, and began studying art in 1989. “I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where I was constantly surrounded by nature and fascinating creatures, which have found their way into my artwork since I began drawing and painting.” She offers her artwork, art classes, and more on her website, www.amandamjorgenson.com.
I don't believe in "natural born talent"; it's something we all have to work toward!
After working for eight years as a German language instructor, Amanda found herself becoming burnt out. “I found a note to myself from when I was in 2nd grade saying I wanted to be a wildlife artist and sell paintings to people. That's really what inspired me to get back into the artworld, after years of not drawing or painting.” Her favorite part of being an artist now is observation of the many subjects she paints. “I truly enjoy observing and painting minute details in feathers, flowers, fur, etc. These small details are what make that animal/plant unique. Being able to get those pieces out in front of an audience, and have them see that even the most "common place" animal - such as a crow - is something very intricate and beautiful, makes me happy.”
"The Scapegoat - Crow Portrait" by Amanda Jorgenson pictured above.
Amanda’s most prized piece is a painting she created in her first series. “The first piece I created in a series (Flora & Fauna of Washington State) was of a snarling Grizzly Bear with Fiddlehead Ferns. There is something about this piece, perhaps the emotion, that still draws me into it.” As such, her favorite subjects to paint are plants and animals. “I strive to bring a little bit of wilderness into the viewers every day and elicit curiosity in indigenous flora and fauna, the rare and elusive species, etc.”
When beginning a new project or piece, Amanda is often inspired by music. “It doesn't matter the genre, usually I get inspired by a song title, or lyric. This helps me think of what kind of subjects (flora or fauna, or both) I'd like to depict, and doing what. Sometimes it's a bit of a stretch, but it really gets me thinking.”
"Grizzly Bear With Fiddlehead Fern" by Amanda Jorgenson pictured above.
To aspiring artists, Amanda encourages practice and patience. “Please remember that patience and practice are very important when starting out - or even getting back into art. I don't believe in "natural born talent"; it's something we all have to work toward!”
Amanda found Golden State Art when searching for backing board and clear bags for her artwork. “Tired of supporting Amazon - I decided to see if there was another shop selling them. I liked the GSA mission statement, and am happy I was able to find them with a quick google search! I've been able to sell prints without having them get damaged (ahem, winter rain here in the PNW) at various sizes with the products I've received from GSA. Starting out, I definitely didn't think of the importance of keeping prints protected, and looking professional!”
Written by Molly Duttry - EcoArts Coordinator for DNDA
Last winter, DNDA staff started a project allowing youth to be part of a beautification project from the safety of their homes. This mural was designed by local artist Amanda Jorgenson and was painted by 45 youth from NewHolly, High Point, and Delridge. This mural is made up of 63 individual 11”-by-14” canvases. Each youth received their own kit with paint, a printout of the mural, and a unique canvas. It was essentially a paint-by-numbers project that would be part of something much bigger.
This mural shows that as a community we can create something truly beautiful and collaborative without being in the same space. Youth were able to connect with other youth across South Seattle and co-create a project that allowed them to take a break from technology. The flowers in this mural are local to Western Washington and signify the growth we have all experienced during this pandemic.
Once the canvases were picked up, we assembled the mural and looked for somewhere the public could see its beauty. The Seattle Office of Arts and Culture graciously offered to show it at King Street Station. The mural is titled Community Garden and will be on display in their gallery from July 22nd to August 16th. After this showing, it will be on display permanently at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Delridge. We plan on having a closing celebration to honor the youth, families, and artists that contributed to making this mural. More information to come.
We are incredibly grateful to 4Culture, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and an anonymous funder for their support. Thank you!
Attempts at restarting a snail mail way of saying Hello.
A few recent Send a Letter postcard requests.
I’ve always been someone who has loved receiving mail, particularly lately while we’re in self-isolation. By mail, I mean legitimate letters, cards or postcards, amd not some junkmail from the ever-perseverant weekly mailer called “Retail-me-Not”.
Most of my friends and acquaintances have a good laugh at my single-handed attempts of reviving the glory days of both USPS and the hand-written letter, but I believe this is because most of them haven’t received real mail in a very long time. Or EVER!
I find that for most, sitting down to write a letter is an incredibly daunting experience, which I understand to a point. However, the nice thing about sending snail mail is that by simply taking the effort to send a physical “hello”, you’ve already shown the recipient that you care. Yes, perhaps the adage “It’s the thought that counts” is really about snail mail senders!
Years back, I took part in a project called Snail Mail My Email, which is sadly now defunct. Snail Mail My Email was a community art project where volunteers would transform strangers' emails into handwritten letters, and include a hand-drawn image of the email-writer’s request. I really enjoyed this project, especially because it combined my love of art, and my love of mail.
In the last few weeks of quarantine, I’ve felt increasingly overwhelmed by technological communication. As much as I enjoy receiving messages, emails, Zoom calls inquiring how I am doing, it is a lot. While on a walk, and away from my laptop and phone, I thought about how nice it would be to get mail asking about how I am so i could sit down at my desk and actually think about how I am doing instead of sending a passive, “Good; you?” over DM, IM or text.
Thus came about sending a letter with customized art on it ala Snail Mail my Email. Why not make someone else hand write and mail something to someone you love? Why not continue to combine my love of art and mail for the benefit of those who are going through a hard and potentially overwhelming time right now?
Currently I offer three different service types for Send a Letter: postcard , greeting card, and a full-on letter. Pricing includes postage, materials (such as paper, paint and envelopes) and the rest goes to my time and art.
“Why wouldn’t I just do this myself?” you might be asking yourself. Well, why don’t you! While I always appreciate the support of my art - especially right now being laid-off and all - what I am really trying to promote is sending happiness to someone who is having a rough time. Or someone who is doing ok, but a piece of mail just makes them smile even more. Maybe you don’t have the materials to do so. Maybe you feel as if you don’t have the time and sending mail keeps getting pushed back. That’s why I am doing this.
I also created a short stop-motion animation called Snail Mail for Tiger as a little advertisement for the service. Stop-motion is something I’ve always wanted to try, so shoot - I had the time to do it.
If you have questions about the Send a Letter service, do not hesitate to send me an email via the Contact form.
To order postcards, greeting cards or letters, head to the shop: www.amandamjorgenson.com/shop/send-a-letter!
In September, Urban ArtWorks reached out to me to ask if I was interested in designing a mural for a client’s private garden/residence. Since the client is often gone, they didn’t care to plant flowers or other vegetation; instead wanted to have a mural depicting Norwegian flowers that they could look at year round.
In total, the mural covers roughly 4.5’ x 25’ and consists of 4 separate panels which are attached to the client’s fence. The flowers in the mural are as follows:
Alpine sow-thistle (in the two-toned purple) | Giant bellflower (in the yellow) | Water aven (in fuchsia) | Fiddlehead fern (in green) | Round-leaved wintergreen (in two-toned red).
The colors are not true to the flowers natural color; however, this was done with intention, as Seattle winters can be quite grey, so bright, bold colors are necessary to brighten up the area.
Between the project manager, a volunteer, and me, we were able to finish the mural in 3 days. Although if you know an artist, you are well aware that we could have picked at it for an eternity longer.
All in all, I am pleased with the outcome, as is the client, so I couldn’t wish for a better ending to 2019.
In the following pictures we have my cat, Agatha, critiquing my initial designs - tracing the design onto the panels, using a projector - beginning stages of painting and outlining - the completed panels in the Urban ArtWork’s studio - the mural in situ!
The below video is shot and edited by Environmental journalist: Alison Morrow for KING5 - please watch!
In June 2018 I had the opportunity to tag along with the Cascades Carnivore Project into the Southern Cascades where a wolverine den was recently found. My role was to illustrate and visually document the den and surroundings.
For those of you who don’t know what a wolverine is, you’re not alone here. Many friends I spoke to about my trip thought a wolverine was a small wolf, made jokes about seeing Hugh Jackman in the wild, or thought they were the stuff of legends. Wolverines are cute, yet vicious member of the weasel family, but more closely resembles a little bear, in my opinion.
Its jaws can bite through bone, and it can take down any mid-sized animal to chow down on. Their territory spans into the upper end of the double digits, and they are mostly solitary. I also happen to think they are just too cute (but not something I’d like to run into by my lonesome).
My friend, Bennett Dewan, took the above photo. You can check out more of his wildlife photography at his website: www.bennettdewan.com . He’s truly brilliant.
It must be mentioned that wolverine sightings are incredibly rare, as not only are they elusive, but they were thought to no longer live in the area. Wolverine sightings are a HUGE deal, so to be included in this was absolutely incredible.
The hike (20+ miles in all) in took us across a raging river and over some snow pack, which turned out to be my downfall. After setting up camp, the team and i set out for another few miles to scout out the wildlife cameras and collection stations. This is where scientists/biologist collect samples of fur to see how many wolverines/other species have been visiting the pungent bait - which is dangling from a rope in a tree to lure in interested wildlife- to be photographed.
It appeared that Pepper, the resident female wolverine, whose den we were on our way to visit, visited with her Pepperoni - otherwise known as her kits. So. Stinking. Cute.
Not far from a beautiful lookout of the Cascades, sadly my trip took a turn for the worst. As I was discussing how excited I was to sketch and observe the area the following day, I broke through the thawing snow pack and straight into an underlying tree.
While normally this is not a huge issue, unfortunately for me, a wave of nausea hit and I knew something wasn’t quite right. As it turns out, I managed to sprain my ankle at a Grade 3 level: where I completely tore ligaments in the right side of my ankle, making it very difficult to walk down hill without rolling my already rapidly swelling ankle.
Regardless, I managed to make it to the wolverine den, which was massive! In June, the wolverines had already made their way to their summer home, so there were no run-ins, or needs for quick getaways. It truly was a sight to take in!
An environmental reporter for a local TV station took fantastic footage about the whole trip; you can watch it below, and in a different segment above:
I get a special mention as the “Illustrator Lady”.
Sadly after one day and night, I had to head back to civilization with the KING 5 crew. Crossing over a raging river with a busted ankle was terrifying, and of course, hiking downhill was no treat. It’s truly amazing how much adrenaline (or whatever it was) takes over to get you through to the otherside. As soon as I got into the car, my ankle ballooned to 3 times the size it was whilst hiking.
After realizing I couldn’t drive back into Seattle, I spent the night in Yakima and ate an entire Domino’s pizza by myself while watching “Southern Charm” - truly wonderful and horrifying.
Regardless of the lingering injury, I would really enjoy doing more conservation work - artistically. I gotta get the ankle back up to snuff, as it’s not quite there yet. to go on mountain treks to find the rare and elusive. Hopefully soon enough!
Thanks again to the Cascades Carnivore Project for allowing me to tag along!
You can see my illustrations under the pen and ink section of my website titled: Pepper, the wolverine, and Vulpes Vulpes.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 MEGAN PHELPS ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT, LIFESTYLE
Imagine you’re in the far North, looking out at a vast white landscape. You smell the sea as the cool breeze stings your cheeks, and get a whiff of fish and seal skin drying on nearby racks.
This was the setting that Amanda Jorgenson, an artist currently stationed in Seattle, grew up in. Her series, “Flora and Fauna” is currently being showcased at Mt. Hood’s Fireplace Gallery in the Student Union.
Growing up, Jorgenson had a keen interest in the arts; her parents even enrolled her in art classes at the early age of 6. However, she did not immediately pursue this interest. Instead, for roughly a decade she worked as a German language instructor at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon.
In 2014 she heard about the yearlong Natural Science Illustration program at the University of Washington. After she applied and was accepted, her journey as an artist continued to evolve. Over the past few years she has created illustrations for children’s books, public art commissions, and private commissions.
Her interest in artwork based around animals partially came from her childhood in Brevig Mission, Alaska, which is a small village with around 300 people.
“The opportunity to have little interference with the indigenous species – even at that age, I knew it was something kind of special,” she explained in an interview. “I knew it was important.”
Six of the paintings being shown here are a part of the “Flora and Fauna” series which contains carnivores and plants indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. The black-and-white pieces shown are detailed pen-and-ink drawings of birds.
Of the pieces students and faculty get to see, the pieces titled “Grizzly Bear with Fiddle Head Fern” and “Burrowed Owl” are the artist’s favorite, the bear being the first created in the Flora and Fauna series. The owl is treasured due to it’s “bad-ass” persona, she said.
Jorgenson’s journey back to the arts was an unexpected one. At times being a full-time illustrator can be stressful, since there can be high- and low-points for commissions. But, one day this past April, she was going through a box of old papers in her parents’ house in Gresham. To her surprise, she found a letter her second-grade-self wrote to her future self, stating that she wanted to be an artist and paint pictures of animals for people.
This reassured Jorgenson that everything would be all right.
“I totally deviated from that goal, but I kind of came around to it,” she said. “So, for those people who really want to pursue art and be an artist, don’t be afraid of doing it. I mean, ultimately you’re gonna come back to it, I think.”
To anyone interested in pursuing art, she suggested, “Always stay true to what you enjoy doing and what inspires you. You can find your niche; you can find people who are interested in your art. It’s not impossible. You just need to find them.
“Don’t be afraid to put in the legwork to find your people.”
Visitors can check out Jorgenson’s “Flora and Fauna” series and the other pieces in the Fireplace Gallery through in the Student Union through Oct. 30. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Above: Video of Internship experiences intertwined with the mural creation.
In August 2018, I had the opportunity through Urban ArtWorks to work with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, Greenway Trust, and 10 high school interns on a final creative project: a mural which was a visual summation of what was learned over the 6-week-long internship.
After meeting with the students and listening to what they found the most-important aspects of their time as Clean Water Ambassadors, I created three different designs for the interns to select their most favorite, and most representative of their experiences.
Many interns expressed their concerns and anxieties to me regarding their belief that they were neither “creative” nor “artistic”; however, with some guidance and tips on how to best execute difficult areas on the mural, and reassuring a few that nature isn’t perfect, so neither does their representation of it have to be, they started getting paint up on the wall without much more hesitation.
The project itself took one week, from about 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. each day. And at the end, we had a mural that the interns were incredibly happy with. Me too :)
Below is a write up by Becca Kedenburg of Greenway Trust, which lays out the Internship with more detail. I highly encourage any high school aged students, who are interested in conservation, science, etc. to apply!
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Every morning for six weeks, the Clean Water Ambassadors made their way on foot, buses, and trains to downtown Seattle for their paid summer internship. Most days they piled into a fifteen-passenger van to visit sites all around King County, including the Ballard Locks, the landfill, the Issaquah Hatchery, the Bullitt Center, and a culvert replacement project on Zackuse Creek. The field trips introduced them to current projects in King County such as ecological restoration at Lake Sammamish State Park and a new wet weather storage facility in the Rainier Valley.
“This internship is an interactive experience that educates us about careers, efforts and struggles that go into environmental conservation. I was also exposed to wastewater treatment and the cultural and historical implications of salmon and history of Washington. Through the internship we learned about ourselves, other people, and the world” – Risa Suho, Kent Meridian High School
Out of over 250 applications, ten students were selected for this program. Each had their own reason for applying to the program: some were interested in learning how government agencies and nonprofit organizations work, some wanted to explore a specific career path, some sought professional communication skill development. They represent different schools, different communities, different perspectives.
“Water is part of our daily lives and we should understand where it comes from and where it goes. This program made me understand the importance of that. Not only that, this internship taught me many different life skills and lessons like knowing how to connect with people, public speaking, etc. This was a valuable learning experience.” – Calvin La, Cleveland High School
With the goal of fostering the next generation of environmental leaders, King County Wastewater Treatment Division and the Greenway Trust offered this intensive summer internship for high school students. As the interns learn about human and natural water systems, they are answering questions such as “Where does our water come from, and where does it go when we’re done using it?” and “How can we help conserve healthy salmon streams?”
Throughout the six weeks, the interns used low- and high-tech equipment to measure the water quality of salmon streams. Their stream surveys also included notes on the streamside plants, streambed composition, number of pools and riffles, amount of large woody debris, and so on. They evaluated Issaquah Creek at three sites; they also evaluated the Tolt River, the Duwamish River, and Longfellow Creek. Overall, they found these salmon streams lacking in woody debris and native trees and shrubs growing in the riparian zone.
They gained valuable field experience, honed their leadership and communication skills, and made professional connections. The interns spent two days a week in a computer lab working on their portfolios. They wrote letters to their King County councilperson and to a Greenway Trust Board Members, fine-tuned their resume, and recorded stream survey data in an Excel spreadsheet. At the end of the internship, each intern synthesized their experience by giving a final professional presentation to staff and community members. On these computer lab days, they also interviewed professionals: they got to hear about someone’s work now but also the academic and professional path they took to get there. The interns noted that most people they interviewed did not take a ‘direct flight’ to their current work, but that they were happy.
This internship is about more than salmon and water systems, it starts conversations about who has access to green spaces. A person who cares about a place is more likely to seek skills and opportunities to help take care of that place. “Many people don’t necessarily have access to forests/outdoors/environment even if they live near it.” – Shi’anne Shelton, Henry M. Jackson High School
The summer portion of the internship has ended, but the Clean Water Ambassadors are just getting started. They will spend another 40 or more hours during the school year using what they learned this summer to make an impact their community. This cohort is the first to pilot this school-year extension. Community engagement is an integral part of the work that the Greenway Trust and King County do.
The video was created by Cherry Street Films. The mural you see in the video was created under the direction of Amanda Jorgenson with Urban Artworks. This internship program is supported in part by the Boeing Company.
If you are interested in receiving an email alert when the application for the 2019 internship is available, please email Becca Kedenburg at ‘becca.kedenburg (at) mtsgreenway.org’.
Since October 2017, I’ve gotten to know the fine folks at Urban ArtWorks (UA) In their own words (gleefully copy and pasted from their website):
Urban ArtWorks is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for contemporary artists and local youth to work together to create public works of art. Our goal is to empower young people through professional opportunities in the arts.
Since then, I have helped UA raise money for youth programing through donating my art for auction, taught and facilitated mural projects, and volunteered my time assisting in fundraising endeavors.
Below is an interview I did with UA in June 2018 (recently published on their website):
Amanda is an artist and volunteer who helps us out with a variety of initiatives. We asked her some questions about public art:
How did you find out about Urban Artworks?
I was reading The Stranger while at my former day job and saw an ad for Urban ArtWorks’ Summer Celebration. I sent-in an email to introduce myself as both an artist and as a potential volunteer for UA’s events and teaching opportunities.
Tell us about yourself, where did you grow up / how did you find yourself in Seattle?
I was born in Geneva, Switzerland and moved to the U.S. shortly thereafter. My family and I bounced around the U.S. – mostly between the Midwest and Alaska. My love of art started when we lived in an Inupiaq village called Brevig Mission in Northwest Alaska where I was surrounded by Native carvers and drawers. Close proximity to animals and various forms nature provided me with the subject matter of my art, knowing Native artists provided an example of using art as a form of storytelling, which I have followed over the years. After a near decade of being a German-language instructor at University of Oregon and Oregon State University, I decided to change up my career path and follow my passion of art in earnest. In 2015, I applied for University of Washington’s Natural Science Illustration Program and was accepted. I’ve been in Seattle ever since and am happily getting more involved in the art scene here.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated and interested in your work?
I go on ridiculously long walks and really listen to song lyrics. Misinterpreted – or reinterpreted—lyrics tend to lead to an idea for a drawing. For example, during a creative dry-spell I was listening to a good deal of David Bowie, particularly “Let’s Dance.” There’s a lyric, “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues,” which made me – an absolute bird nerd- think about the mating dance of the blue-footed boobies putting on red shoes. Silly things like that really help me create new art.
Which is more important to you, the subject of your painting, or the way it is executed?
The subject. As most of my art features animals, it is important to portray their personality, feathers, fur, glint in the eye accurately. Every minute detail matters as they are very specific to each species. I am an incredibly messy artist despite my best efforts, and I tend to start with the foreground instead of the background, as it’s always more interesting. Of course, this has gotten me into loads of trouble!
Have there been major influences from childhood that you didn’t realize until later in life?
Not really, as they’ve always been present. When I expressed my interest for art and animals, my parents helped encourage and cultivate that, and continue to do so – even when the art game gets tough.
What projects are you working on these days?
I am currently working on a pen, ink and gouache series of Pacific Northwest Carnivores and the flora that surrounds them. I am an avid supporter of conservation efforts, and I believe representations of nature gives the viewer a more-relatable insight to the general public on what is happening to our green spaces and how we can help indigenous wildlife.
I’ll be on a backpacking adventure with Cascades Carnivore Project soon, where I’ve been asked to illustrate a wolverine den (and any potential elusive wolverines that come my way!). Getting out into the field and seeing wildlife firsthand – instead of in photos – is always fantastic.
Who are some other artists who have influenced you?
One of the first female natural science illustrators, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647 – 1717). She led me to want to try watercolor with pen and ink.
Did you come from a creative family?
My father is incredibly creative. He and I used to spend a good deal of time drawing or building things together. My mom and sister have their moments, but they happily stay away from things which seem too artistically complicated.
How is living in Seattle influencing your work right now?
I’m getting more involved with local conservation groups looking for art and illustrations for their organization. Access to these orgs as well as the proximity to nature is really channeling my artwork in that direction at the moment.
Now hanging at Revolutions Coffee in Greenlake [208 East Green Lake Drive North
eattle, WA 98115]! Art + coffee: a fantastic combination - though less likely to convince you into a sale as art + booze would. No matter: go check it out!
This is a lovely little coffee shop in Greenlake, perfect for people watching and enjoying a damn fine cup of coffee. I've been "bugging" the nicest baristas I've ever met in my life to let me hang my art since last year this time (though I'm not sure if they remember this - all the better for me!) but this has come at a perfect time. People are spending more time inside now that the weather is turning, and starting to think about the Holidays.
An aside: Have you started thinking about the Holidays? I know someone who makes things for people...
I've found space for 7 of my digital paintings on the walls at Revolutions Coffee. I decided to show more of my digital work this time - rather than my colored pencil pieces- as I've found that there is more intrigue with the digital media and pen and ink - though I'm yet to show any of those. While I was hanging, I had a some interested people inquire on the medium of the pieces. Many thought it was watercolor, which is an interesting perspective to hear. I'm so used to getting (mostly positive) feedback from my immediate circle of family and friends that I really enjoy hearing what strangers think.
Must. Do. This. More.
The show will be up for a bit. There was a delay in getting it up on the wall, as I've relocated from Fremont to Ballard in what seemed to be a never-ending move.
Let me know what you think, if you go check it out!
