Bio
From a young age, Amanda Micheletto-Blouin had a passion for making; anything from woven potholders to beaded objects to sculpture and drawing. Her early predilections led her to the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee. Experiences there were formative both in exposing her to the technical traditions of weaving and fiber work and allowing her the latitude to experiment within those parameters. She participated in artist residencies at the Mendocino Art Center in California and at Artspace in Raleigh, NC where her investigation into the relationship between tradition and the contemporary landscape continued. Her graduate work at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC investigated the combination of traditional textile techniques and non-traditional items like glass and metal. For the last decade, Amanda has been the manager of Jerry’s Artarama in Nashville, Tennessee, where she has continued her creative endeavors, which now encompass the investigation into non-representational painting.

Statement
My work spans decades. I am currently working in three series: textiles/fiber art, abstract watercolors on paper, and textured acrylic paintings. All three are integral to who I am as an artist. I am a quiet and contemplative artist. I am reflective and like spending time paying close attention to details and “time & place” occurrences. I have a strong relationship with and connection to process and skilled craftsmanship. I like collecting and the documentation of time the collection reveals. I like the idea of containing/holding physical objects as well as painted shapes. My abstract paintings are stress release and play time. I can be a kid with colors and shapes. My textile work is about time spent making, the marking of time passing, and the practice of aging in real time. The textured acrylic paintings are my newest series and are a combination of the two halves. I work on making sense of my world through my art practice.