Staff Reports
Nashville artist Amanda Mathis is among 32 artisans and 22 studios participating in the 20th annual Back Roads of Brown County Studio Tour, which opens Monday and runs the entire month of October.
That’s when visitors can drive down scenic back roads, wind through woods decked out in their finest fall colors, and discover art.
The artist studios, which includes the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, will welcome visitors to Brown County throughout October. Some, including Mathis’ studio, will be open all 31 days.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The 32 juried artisans will share a special glimpse into the lives of the working artists and craftsmen on this free, self-guided event designed to showcase the arts and crafts created in the present-day “Art Colony of the Midwest.”
Visitors can watch artwork take shape before their eyes, with artists and craftsmen demonstrating daily. Guests can talk with artists and explore the spaces that inspire them, and purchase pieces directly from the creators.
One aspect about Mathis’ acrylic paintings is that she does not use facial features on the humans or animals portrays.
“Viewers are able to impose their own ideas as to feeling and emotions that the subjects in the painting may be displaying,” Mathis said.
This lets each viewer have a different and ever-changing concept of the scenes she depicts.
Mathis’ style has been labeled primitive, but she prefers the term educated primitive. She has been painting in this style since she was young.
“I am pleased that I have kept the childlike qualities that are so greatly sought after in the art world,” Mathis said.
Ideas come from the rural Brown County area where she lives, but she also pulls other images from her memory and imagination while adding a touch of humor and whimsy.
“Amazingly, an Indiana scene can speak to someone from Maine or even Florida,” Mathis said. “My paintings reflect a rich Indiana heritage that has so encompassed my life experiences.”
Mathis paints on canvas and paper, but also incorporates painted frames into some of her artworks. She paints mainly in acrylic, but also uses some inks.
Her works range in size from miniatures to murals. A mural graces the wall of her working studio, and she has also painted a mural panel as part of the Brown County History Mural, which hangs in downtown Nashville.
She created her first mural n her bedroom at age 4.
“While other kids were selling lemonade, I was selling paintings in my Lafayette neighborhood,” Mathis said. “I’m grateful to be able to make a living using this gift and sharing my talents.”
Over the years, she has developed and taught many workshops and classes for children and teens and has done volunteer workshops with the local teen center. She has also been an artist in residence at the Brown County Schools through a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission.
Mathis travels the U.S., exhibiting her paintings in art fairs and galleries. Her works hang in private collections in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, England and Spain.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”About the studio” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Artist: Amanda W. Mathis
Studio: A.W. Mathis Studio & Gallery
Mediums: Acrylic primitive paintings — miniatures to murals
October hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Address: 220 Kelp Grove Road, Nashville
Phone: 812-320-0747
Email: [email protected]
Website: AmandaMathisArt.com
[sc:pullout-text-end]
