Amanda Dunbar

How the sausage is made 🎨

I had the privilege of finally seeing the last night. I was blown away by many of the subtle (and some not-so-subtle) battle cries for self-empowerment, self-confidence, self-discovery and acceptance, of equality and consideration of the Other, while also underscoring some of the complex issues that face being a woman in this day and age. This movie was able to dazzle with the visuals that define the brand, while also managing to explore some very poignant philosophical issues. As an artist, art historian, and philosopher, I was pleasantly surprised at the care the writers took to nod to such thinkers as Proust and Nietzsche.

This, for me, was a movie that in many ways reinvigorated the excitement I felt when approach by many years ago to be part of their project which sought to introduce younger children to the world of creating art with the goal of empowerment through creativity. I was asked to “loan” my art to Barbie in that movie, as well as to be a featured part of a documentary produced along with the main movie. (If you missed it, you can still find it on YouTube these days!) As a young artist myself at the time, I was absolutely honored and humbled to be chosen as a voice to guide the burgeoning artist in those children. I never imagined it would take on the life it did. To this day I receive messages of thanks from people all over the world who were inspired by those projects. In honor of Barbie and the message conveyed through this new movie, and as both a former and participant, head on over to my website and grab a copy of my book “Guided by Angels,” that features many of the paintings seen in the documentary!

My is *finally* done! It was completed just in time to keep us all warm during during icepocapylse 2023. (Scroll through to see the inaugural use ❤️). My extra tall husband obliged to hold the quilt way over his head during a break in the freezing rain just so I could snap this photo.

This has been a project that really drives home how, over time, little bits add up. This almost queen-sized quilt was entirely hand quilted with #8 and # 5 perle cotton in a rainbow of variegated colors. It was something I picked up whenever I was in need of a quiet hand project while my babies slept. Ph.D field exams, caring for my energetic two-year, and the joyful chaos of another new baby in the house meant that it took me almost a year and a half to complete.

I really loved working on this quilt. It’s so much different to work with fibers than paint, but so many of the same principles of 2D design carry over. It was a great exercise in patience and mediation on the same piece over an extended period of time. It will not be my last quilt.

More bag making adventures after the babies are in bed! This by is another special gift for a family member whose favorite colors are fuschia and purple. Luckily, I have a huge love of bright, cheery, saturated colors, so I had some in my collection. Now, I might have to make one for myself too. 🙃 I got to use some of my favorite fabric designers all in one piece- - and features machine and hand quilting. So much fun, and such an awesome pattern. (And my skills are def improving!) it just goes to show you that even when you’re out of the studio, you can still exercise your creativity and love of making and color.

What do you do when you’re waiting for a baby to be born? Clearly, it’s time to teach yourself a new skill to keep your mind occupied. (🤦‍♀️)

So, I decided to learn to sew bags, and made myself a new hospital duffel and matching cosmetics bag. Whaddya think?

If you are local, come check out the show I have curated for the UTD with selections of contemporary photos from the Comer Collection.

Progress on my !

Headway is being made on my ! I decided to hand quilt the whole thing, mostly because I wanted to keep changing thread colors as I go. There is also something incredibly meditative about sitting for a few minutes and hand stitching something with love and intention at the end of the day. (And frankly, machine quilting stresses me out. )

Happy Father’s Day, everyone!

A new sewing project in the works!

On my final "painting of the day for the month of May" to celebrate , I thought I would end with a tribute to another of my favorite artists, Mary Cassatt. This painting, "Mother and Baby, after Cassatt" (2001, oil on canvas, 30"x40") was based on an image made by Cassatt, an artist for whom I have great reverence. (I even wrote a sizable portion of my MA thesis on her painting "Young Mother Sewing" (oil on canvas, 1901).
“Beauty” as a convention is de-emphasized in modern aesthetic philosophy, and art history. Many of the works of Mary Cassatt may possibly be deemphasized for this reason- hers are beautiful paintings, often depicting “beautiful” relationships between mother and children, “beautiful” colors and brushwork, and “beautiful” overall composition, achieved through rigorous study and training. Often described as “capturing a moment,” these paintings render palpable a fleeting glimpse of time and timelessness framed by the work of art. There are moments in every artist’s life that fundamentally change the way they approach their own artwork, and shapes their practice afterward. One such moment for me was upon seeing my first Cassatt paintings. One could even call it the genesis of my own artistic journey. There was something in these paintings that spoke to me and continues to speak to me, of what it is to be a painter. The subject matter was something familiar, but the use of color, line, value, and texture caused me pause. Indeed, to this day I still revisit these works often for new artistic insights.

On one of the final days of my "post a painting a day for the month of May" to celebrate , I thought I would post a painting from my private collection, "After Michelangelo, the Pieta" (2006, oil on canvas, 60"x 48"). This one is sort of "the ultimate mother," wouldn't you say? I am not Catholic, but I am an art historian, and the first time I got to see Michelangelo's masterpiece in St. Peter's it was a downright religious experience. I was there studying abroad for the summer, and the task of the day for my drawing class was to choose a sculpture in St. Peter's and to do a sketch. Being down for a challenge, of course, I chose *the* sculpture of St. Peter's. Anyone who has had the privilege of visiting knows how hard it is to get in front of this sculpture for any length of time, but somehow, it ended up just being me and the Pieta for almost an hour. The guards offered me a reverent protection from curious tourists who wanted to take photos of me drawing, and in that hour, I felt I learned more about Michelangelo than I ever could from any textbook. It was truly a remarkable experience, and so I brought those sketches home and made a full length painting from them. It is still a memory that gives me goosebumps.