“Paint more,” advises Amanda Lynn, whose flower-laced murals brighten the streets of San Francisco. Though her work appears in cities around the world, the NorCal-based artist is especially fond of the place she calls home, where her work is splashed liberally across building facades in Oakland, Santa Rosa, and San Francisco.
A collaborative artist to the core, Amanda Lynn has spent over two decades working alongside San Francisco’s graffiti community. Murals like “Full Circle” steep the city in lush botanicals and feminine magic, providing a brief escape from urban anxiety and crude, blockish architecture. “I try to celebrate the beauty of life, nature, and the magic in between,” she tells us.
For more magic, snag a limited-edition print of Amanda Lynn’s “Full Circle” (pictured above), featured in our November exhibition, Home for the Holidays. Explore the exhibition, browse exclusive prints from Sugar Press Art, then scroll through to read our interview with Amanda Lynn.
In Today's Q+Art Interview…
Amandalynn discusses the importance of keeping a sketchbook, celebrating the beauty of life, and why she will never stop painting on big walls.
Which cultural concepts, themes, or philosophies inform your work?
Amanda Lynn: Find beauty everywhere.
Which books, art-related or otherwise, belong on every artist’s shelf?
AL: Their own sketchbook, filled with thoughts, ideas, and other artists' contributions.
What's your biggest barrier to being an artist?
AL: Weather.
What do you wish you had learned in art school but weren’t taught?
AL: How to do my taxes.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? What’s the worst?
AL: Best advice: Paint for the love of painting. Worst advice: Stop painting on that wall.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
AL: I make sure to take time every day to check in with myself, either on a long walk in the forest or doing yoga, or both. And I don’t sleep a lot.
Have you ever turned down an opportunity? Why?
AL: Yes, I now know that if someone is not treating me with respect, it is always OK to walk away from an opportunity.
What role should money play in the art world?
AL: Money should support the creation of more art.
What do you dislike about the art world? How would you change it if you could?
AL: I dislike that so many artists feel the need for approval by social media and popularity status. It really cripples a lot of creative energy. I think the only way to change it is to turn off our phones and create more.
Amanda Lynn: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Purchase Work | Shop Home for the Holidays
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. All photos published with permission of Amanda Lynn and Sugar Press Art.