North Shore Volunteer Spotlight: Amanda Duncan-Jones

Amanda comes to us via Louisville, KY, as evidenced by her delightful accent and southern charm. She’s only been a part of the studio community for a few months, but she already fits right in – she came to our Halloween party dressed as a Lichtenstein painting, for goodness sake (see photo below with artist Elise Hylton)! Artist Antonie Smith took a few minutes out of his busy collaging schedule to chat with Amanda about her experiences at The Arts of Life thus far. Check out their conversation and see them pictured in the gallery below.  Antonie: How did you hear about Arts of Life?Amanda: I was looking to volunteer and found the studio on Volunteer Match. I was searching for something art-related in the disability field. Antonie: What do you like about The Arts of Life?Amanda: I love the people. I love all the volunteers, staff and, of course, the artists. I love how everybody is super creative and everybody is always trying new stuff and love the independence of everybody. It feels like a nice big family! Antonie: What kind of work do you do when volunteering? Amanda: I am an artist mentor. I float around the studio, help the artists get their supplies and guide them to their next projects. I make sure they feel their projects are the best they can be.  Antonie: What’s your favorite task?Amanda: Facilitating! I like being with the artists and talking to everyday. That’s my favorite part.  Antonie: What do you like most about helping us?Amanda: The creativity. I love to see what you guys come up with. It’s always something new and inventive. Even though I’ve been into art my whole life, I’ve learned so much in the few months I’ve been here. It’s really inspired me. I’ve gone out and bought new art supplies that I haven’t used in years and I’ve started doing more work on my own.  Antonie: What mediums to do you use? Amanda: When I was a kid, I really liked oil pastels. That was my favorite to do because crayons weren’t bright enough for me. Then I started using acrylics. When I paint, I’m definitely more of an abstract painter. I’ve done a lot of mixed media, like found objects put together. I experimented with Styrofoam sculpture. My biggest thing has been re-doing furniture, like really old furniture. I would buy it cheap and re-paint it and re-upholster it with all sorts of crazy colors. That was my favorite. I ran out of room in my house, so I had to stop.  Antonie: Who’s your favorite artist?Amanda: I have so many! I love Van Gogh; I love the dimensional details of his paint. I love Kandinsky and Franz Mark because of all the color.  Antonie: What do you do when not at The Arts of Life?Amanda: I’m married. My husband and I have been married for a little over 8 years. We have a dog, his name is Tank and we’ve had him for three years. We’re always out exploring, we don’t stop. We’re constantly finding things to do and taking road trips. We want to see all there is to see. —If YOU wanna try being a volunteer Artist Mentor like Amanda, fill out our volunteer application TODAY!