Hi! I’m Amanda Herzberg. Thank you for checking out my work. If you happened to migrate to this page, it must be because you are curious about how I got interested in art, why I art the way I do, and who I am. So here goes!
How Art Snagged Me
I’ve been scribbling on things since I can remember…paper, walls, my face…you know, the normal stuff. But I was incredibly blessed to be born into a creative family who nurtured my wide-ranging creative endeavors. From my dad teaching me to whittle a canoe, to my mom and grandmothers teaching me to paint ceramics, fashion sculptures from polymer clay, crochet, and color my heart out with coloring books. My oldest brother (only 4 years my senior and extremely talented at drawing) also took time to teach me what he could.
We lived in rural Kentucky a good portion of my life. With little money to spare, living almost an hour from most of my friends, and having almost nothing on TV to watch, I spent most of my time outside, reading, and making up stories. As I grew older, I got more serious about improving my art, though I never took an art class after elementary. I was always trying to draw the characters in my head, our dogs, or grandparents’ horses.
Eventually I went to college to get my Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Northwest Missouri State University and have been working as a graphic artist since.
Why I Art the Way I Do
I needed to get messy. Imperfect. Boisterous. That’s the heart of it. In my work as a graphic designer, I am on the computer all day. Everything must be clean, perfectly spaced—the message immediately clear. I sit at a quiet desk, surrounded by the hum of a small office. I craved the tactility of canvas and paint. The challenge of letting my brush strokes or pen run fast and free, splattering and dripping paint. Ink. MOVING and capturing pent up energy in every work. German expressionism, fauvism, impressionism—all the styles dear to my heart since college, inform and inspire my creative works. I do not paint to create the perfect copy of the reality I see; I paint the emotions of it. The ever-moving ebb and flow of the now, the future, and timeless memory.
Who Am I?
My name is Amanda Herzberg. I am a professional artist based in central Iowa. With a BFA from NWMSU, I have been arting professionally since 2013, but only recently began to accept painting commissions in 2021. When I am not in the office or painting, I spend my time going on adventures with my husband and dogs, helping my grandpa on his farm, attempting to garden, and learning jujitsu.
