Artist Bio
Amanda Drage
Born: 1984
Lives: Northamptonshire, England, UK
I'm a self-taught artist currently living in the small market town of Rothwell, and I specialise in pastel portraits of pets. I've been doing this for a living for over a decade now, and I feel incredibly lucky to spend my days doing what I enjoy most.
I may have only been drawing and painting animals in a professional capacity for a relatively short while, but as far as I can tell, I have always been an artist. I have always drawn. When I was little, I thought horses were the most amazing things ever to walk the earth, and throughout my childhood I would draw them endlessly. I never got tired of it! I drew horses and dogs all through school, both during lunch breaks in the library, and in lesson time (and yes I was caught and told off a few times). Then I'd get home and draw them some more.
My obsession with drawing continued into adult life. During my twenties, I would come home from work, eat my dinner and then sit down to paint or sketch for the rest of the evening. Drawing and painting became something I would throw myself into during stressful times. The worse my day had been, the harder I'd work. At this time, art was my sanctuary - my motive was to learn, improve and to just enjoy the feeling of creating. I tried new mediums and techniques, and new subjects too; it was during this time that I cultivated a passion for painting birds. Although I was really quite dedicated to creating artwork, the thought of doing it for a living didn't enter my mind once, purely because I didn't think it would be possible.
I'd already been sharing my work online - first on the website deviantART, and then on Facebook. It was a wonderful feeling to connect with other artists, and people who enjoyed seeing my work. In time, I began to receive requests from people who wanted me to draw their own animals. And so I found myself tentatively dipping my toe into the waters of pet portrait artistry! After some time (and much deliberation) I made the decision to leave my job and become a full-time artist.
In the time since, pet portraits have remained my primary focus, and I continue to enjoy them immensely. Alongside these, I work on my own paintings of wildlife and other subjects that inspire me. I also enjoy experimenting with different methods and learning new ways of creating. Making art is a constant journey, and for me it's essential to allow time to develop my own creative practice.
Being able to do something that fulfils me every day doesn't come without a measure of some surprisingly hard work. Like many artists, I run everything absolutely on my own (with the exception of some assistance with my website, hanging work and creating painting panels, from my amazing other half, without whose support I would probably collapse!)
With that said, I am hugely thankful for those who support me by choosing my work, be it by commissioning a portrait, or buying an original piece or a print. I'm also very grateful to everyone who supports me in other ways - by following my work online and leaving comments, and coming to see my work in person. Even though I am fairly certain I would still be creating artwork even if there was no-one else on earth to see it, knowing there are people who enjoy what I do and hearing their kind and encouraging comments makes me smile every day. I hope you will enjoy it too!
Past Exhibitions
2024 | Northants and Rutland Open Studios Pop-up Group Exhibition - Boughton House, Kettering
2024 | Northants and Rutland Open Studios Spring Open Exhibition - Lamport Hall, Northants
2023 | Northants Open Studios - Group Exhibition at Rooftop Arts, Corby
2023 | Northants Open Studios - Central Exhibition at Lamport Hall, Northants
2023 | Northants Open Studios Spring Open Exhibition - Lamport Hall, Northants
2023 | Stanwick Lakes Visitor Centre, Northants
2022 | Resident Artists Exhibition 2022 - Rooftop Arts, Corby
2022 | Northants Open Studios - Group Exhibition at Stanwick Lakes Visitor Centre, Northants
2022 | Northants Open Studios - Central Exhibition and Group Exhibition at Lamport Hall, Northants
2022 | Alderton Art Festival - Alderton, Northants
2022 | Northants Open Studios Spring Open Exhibition - Lamport Hall, Northants
2021 | Northants Open Studios - Central Exhibitions at JGallery Moulton and Jeyes of Earls Barton, Northants
2021 | "To Portray or To Portrait" - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby | Online exhibition
2020 | "Red" - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby | Online exhibition
2020 | Northants Open Studios - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2020 | "Connect" - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby | Online exhibition
2020 | Postcard Exhibition - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2019 | Resident Artists Exhibition 2019 - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2019 | "Catching The Light" - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby | Solo exhibition
2019 | Sketchbook Show - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2018 | Resident Artists Exhibition 2018 - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2018 | Summer Open Show - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2017 | "Corby & Migration" - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby | With Warren Shaw; project commissioned by Deep Roots Tall Trees
2017 | "Animals, Colour & Light" - Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering | Solo exhibition
2017 | Summer Open Show - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2016 | "Open 16" - Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering | Winner of overall prize & People's Choice award
2015 | Artisans Fayre - Chichele College, Higham Ferrers
2013 | "Corby Open 2013" - Rooftop Arts Centre, Corby
2013 | "Open 13" - Alfred East Art Gallery, Kettering
2013 | Gallery Launch Exhibition - The Gallery Sutton Bonington, Leics
2012 | "Amanda Drage & Warren Shaw" - Bridge Street Gallery, Rothwell | Joint exhibition with Warren Shaw
2012 | Northamptonshire Open Studios - Bosworths, Burton Latimer
2011 | Northamptonshire Open Studios - Barton Hall, Kettering
2011 | Gumley Open Gardens - Gumley, Leics
2011 | Spring Show - Barton Hall, Kettering
Awards
2024 | Rugby Open 2024 | Anna Lorimer Framing Prize awarded for "Trying To Find The Right Words"
2021 | Northamptonshire Open Studios | Workshop Prize courtesy of The Shire Workshops
2016 | "Northants Open 16" | Overall First Prize
2016 | "Northants Open 16" | People's Choice Award
Publications
2016 | "Losing Altitude" | Illustrations for collaborative art book focusing on rare bird species | Purchase the book here
2015 | "Dogs Today Magazine" | Cockapoo art feature