PAINTING
AMANDA MOTTORN
 
DETAILS
oil paint, palette knife, canvas board
38.7 x 31.1 cm
2021
 
DESCRIPTION
This was my first time using a palette knife—and the first time I truly let go in my painting. After a hike that, unusually, left me feeling inadequate instead of peaceful, I returned home carrying that tension and turned it into movement on the canvas. Using a palette knife, I mixed color directly on the surface, building bold texture and layered marks, sometimes using the knife’s edge to reveal what sits beneath
 
BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST
Amanda Mottorn is an American artist, author, and founder of Modern Journeyer. Working across watercolor, charcoal, acrylic, and oil with cold wax, often incorporating gold and silver leaf, she creates layered works that move between abstraction and representation, drawing inspiration from landscapes, architecture, and travel.
After a two-decade career in corporate sales, Mottorn returned to her creative practice in 2021, publishing her novel Finding Moksha: One Woman’s Path in Uncertain Times and studying painting in Rome under Carole Robb and other artists. She is the creator of Creative Play for Adults, an international retreat series that combines creative expression, travel, and personal exploration.
Mottorn has exhibited internationally in New York, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Spain, Switzerland, and throughout the United States. She continues to write about art, travel, and creativity through The Modern Journeyer on Substack.