Estuary Arts: Advocacy and Wonder in the Last Frontier
Cowork by RSD member Amanda Faith, owner of Estuary Arts, has lived in places as diverse as Germany and Miami. But returning to her hometown of Anchorage proved to be the true inspiration for her work.
“My business is called Estuary Arts, after the wonder of new and unique life that thrives where salt and fresh water mix. Anchorage’s coastal areas feature many of these creative estuaries. I find great joy in exploring how color and forms reflect each other in our amazing northern landscape and light.”
Pandemic productivity and other inspiration
Like many creative people, Amanda thrived during the pandemic. “I looked at the four walls around me and realized I had a large enough catalog of artful images to sell them professionally. With the help of an Alaska State Council of the Arts grant and other funding, I was able to open my gallery site and invest in inventory. My experience as a layout designer & writer helped me create my own marketing materials and I started posting videos on social media for the first time, reaching those far and near who were interested in my view of Alaska’s wonder.”
While Alaska inspires her work, Amanda’s style is inspired by her travels. “My work has a classic feel to it that will age well. This comes perhaps from traveling extensively to see great painting masterpieces around Europe and the U.S.”
Estuary Arts’ clients include individual art collectors, tourists, public and private corporations, galleries, and gift shops. In addition to her work reflecting Alaska’s natural beauty, Amanda teaches art lessons to a wide variety of students and groups, and she has found creating pet portraits to be particularly inspiring.
“One man asked me to paint a portrait for his wife of a shepherd dog who had recently passed away. I only received a few photos so did my best to portray the likeness, using lifelike textured brush strokes and sensitive colorations. When the wife received it, she burst into tears of joy. That made me feel quite satisfied with the power and wonder of art.”
Art and advocacy in a coworking space
A member of Cowork by RSD since 2021, Estuary Arts joined a cohort of creatives to rent a private office. “It was just the segue I needed to downsize and get connected with the downtown community. I continue to have a Premier membership today, as it offers me more flexible space to host board meetings for my community groups, art classes, and art shows, and provides focused spaces for me to catch up on client emails.”
The spacious downtown location of Cowork by RSD also serves as a base for Amanda’s advocacy work. “Downtown Anchorage has gone through a lot of changes and some of them haven’t been conducive to the creative community. I realized that I am responsible for creating the community that I want my children to have the chance to enjoy and thrive in. The downtown community around Cowork by RSD has been a great garden for this.
“If you want to be part of that growth, I’d be happy to hear more about your vision.”
Visit www.amandafaith.art to see Amanda’s work and to learn more about her advocacy, art instruction, and commissions. Follow her on Instagram at @alaskapainter and on Facebook at Amanda Faith Alaska Paintings. Her work can also be seen at fine shops in Girdwood.
