Amanda Blake
thisisalliknow.etsy.com
amandablakeart.blogspot.com
portland, oregon

Where in your home/apartment/city is your studio located?

My studio is a beautiful window filled room in my home in North Portland.



What equipment/tools do you use?

Most of my work is oil paint on wood, but currently I love number two pencils, my gocco, sumi ink, metallic gouache, china markers and stonehenge paper.




Do you have an inspiration board, and can you tell us what is inspiring you now?

I have little rows of copper nails around my studio where I can hang whatever it is I'm loving at the moment - this one has vintage photos from estate sales and ebay, a Greek stamp, a polaroid of my husband, a smashed penny from the Alamo, a little tile from Caroline of Paloma's nest (www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5358026), a matchbook from Damien Hirst's old restaurant Pharmacy and a photo by my sister robotzombiemonkey (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5406273).
There's a photo of another little row of inspiration on my blog http://amandablakeart.blogspot.com/2008/03/one-little-corner-of-calm.html
I also have a bookshelf behind my easel that i'm always rearranging, full of vintage encyclopedias, my little used cameras and other odds and ends.



How do you create best (e.g. do you listen to music while you create and if so what?)

I share my studio with my three year old Henry and my six month old Frances so I listen to Henry talk about bugs and dinosaurs but sometimes we listen to whatever music we can agree on - lately that's Modest Mouse, Johnny Cash, and Wilco, and of course my little Frances is always busy making plenty of noise too.




List (3) of your favorite artists (with links)

Matthew Dennison
Brian Kershisnik
Heinrich Toh


If yours isn't, what would be your perfect studio?

I'd like it to be about twice the size and I've spent a year looking for the perfect light fixture with no luck but other than that it's ideal.

Thanks Amanda!