Meet the Artist
What people are saying about Amanda Skluzacek:
Amanda is super organized and her attention to detail and communication with our team of consultants are key to successful collaboration. She is a spatial thinker whose technical skills advance the design while leveraging the expertise of the team to achieve the client’s vision. Amanda loves to laugh, create and find the joy in everyday life. She is a plant and dog lover who enjoys both creating and admiring art – traditional and multidimensional – with a soft spot for printmaking.
Amanda's Story:
My life is the story of a meticulous, passionate, ambitious, and creative person with two influential grandmothers. Throughout my travels and the adventures of living, I record the hills and valleys through creative arts.
Experience
From washable paints to whittled stick sculptures and jewelry, my childhood was full of investigative imagination. My grandmother encouraged me to pursue the arts. She gave me many books to practice, and we had many one-on-one studio sessions. It gave way to the habitual practice of observing the world for what it really is. Under that careful eye, I took note of the beauties of architecture, both old and new. In middle school I got a head start on my professional career by shadowing an Architect and learning modeling software while picking up handmade stationery and acrylic painting as a hobby. In high school, I continued by urging my school district to develop a practicum course, so I could be an architectural intern during school hours, all while continuing to create outside academia. After high school, I was invited to continue working full time at the same company. In college, I earned a pre-architecture degree that turned my observant eye towards the art of drafting and the mathematics behind axonometric views. During my time at Texas A&M University, I studied abroad in Italy, where I learned and fell in love with printmaking. With that spark, I began selling my artwork, won second place in an art competition, had my work displayed in a gallery, and was the president of the printmaking club "Ink'd." My architectural and artistic philosophy are the same: It should make the viewer and person experiencing the work feel differently after being exposed to the work.
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Reverence
My other grandmother influenced my hobby of antiquing, which developed into a love of the styles of the mid-century. My closet is now full of swing dresses and a home full of vintage furniture. Vintage is now a prominent theme of my works, where it is present in the subject matter as well as the processes and mediums I use. I try to honor history by researching its origins and appreciating the knowledge passed down to me while I use those techniques. I believe the act of envisioning the masters working with the same techniques adds depth and meaning to the works. The visualization ritual of the historic precedence is why I classify all my works as Process Art. I let the subject matter and the art's purpose dictate the subsequent style used. The exploration of the subject is intentionally mirrored by the exploration of the art style. I approach creating art like a science experiment.
Throughout the years art has been many things for me. It has brought me hope in my darkest times. Art has been an additional therapeutic outlet by helping me understand myself better. In my upcoming works, disabling diagnoses, my disappearing friends, and homophobic experiences are central elements. Those works are a contrast to the bright emanation of the pieces I have created to bring a smile to myself and other's faces. I also aim to display queer delight, because many popular queer artworks have queer pain and suffering as their focal point. It is important that there are positive representations of queerness, so future generations have more hope about what their lives can look like while living life being true to oneself. When the inspiration for a piece of artwork is an amalgamation of feelings over time, they tend to be jovial forms of an Expressionist style. In contrast, my darker works inspired by memories of life events tend to be in a Metaphysical and Assemblage style. The works I use to produce pleasure in times of distress, are in an illustrative Fauvism style. If my methodology or handiwork speak to you, I’d love to work with you in the future. Please be in touch to find out more and to discuss how we can collaborate on whatever you have in mind.
Expression
Purpose
I have always wanted the world to be an inclusive place. Like most people who haven't held a critical lens to today's society, inclusivity used to be an abstract thought. During my architectural courses I was introduced to tactile ways the world can be more inclusive. Throughout my further research, the large reach and many facets of ableism as an action as well as an object became apparent. I studied the ways that today's society negatively impacts disabled people - including its impacts on my own disabilities. I strive for my art to be inclusive as well as showcase how my disabilities influence my life. I have also decided not to pursue some artistic visions because they would not be accessible for some. Inclusivity and accessibility are more important to me than my concepts coming into a physical existence. I strive to make the art world more inclusive by including every physical artwork on my website to be viewed digitally. I bring my art into the average home by partnering with companies that license my artwork onto household goods. The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the ability to encounter art, due to the shutdown of museums. This limited the artwork you could view to your personal collection of wall art and digital media. I felt a yearning for interactive art and sculptures that you can walk through. A desire for tangible art that anyone can and should touch is the resulting direction my artwork has taken as a response. The accessible option for the immunocompromised will be a walkthrough video of the installation.
There's nothing I find more exciting than knowing that my customers are satisfied, and my art has made an impact. Even though I’m based in Seattle, I have had pieces reside all over the United States, so if you like the works displayed on my site, please reach out.
Architecture Philosophy
Form and function are vital in the planning process of every project I work on. Optimizing both the beauty and the functionality is the core of a well designed structure. An emphasis is placed on using the built environment to create inclusive spaces. This contributes to the overarching goal to improve lives through comfortable and smart design.
"I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best."
Benjamin Disraeli
Drafting Services
With experience in pre-design, schematic design, design development, construction documents, and construction observation, Amanda Skluzacek has versatile knowledge. The devotion for all facets of design harbors an interest toward project types that celebrate and encourage cooperation and comfort for clients. This professional fosters a dedication to a diverse and varied portfolio that continues to boost and inspire, leading to the creation of attractively designed, thoughtful environments people want to be in.Â
Education
2014-2018
Bachelor of Environmental Design
Texas A&M University
Environmental Design at Texas A&M University is a design education focusing on building technologies. Due to the University's emphasis on Engineering, the program is oriented towards the technical aspects of architecture. The studio courses produced a well rounded design background.
2018
2nd Place Artfest Competition
Texas A&M University
An annual student art competition and exhibition. As runner up, I appeared on the University news video segment. My work "Amsterdam" is still on display on the ArtFest webpage.
2017-2018
President of Ink'd
Texas A&M University
One of my classmates founded Ink'd as soon as we got back from studying abroad in Italy. She graduated a semester later, so I became the president of our university's printmaking club.
2017-2018
Public Relations Committee for Aggie Riveters
Texas A&M University
Aggie Riveters (now called Rosies) is an inclusive women's organization dedicated to feminism and empowerment. While I was on the PR committee, I designed the organization logo.
2016
Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy Study Abroad
Texas A&M University
In a Truscan small town known for its archeological site, I studied Italian, Mixed Media, and Italy's Architecture. Weekly field trips provided an immersive cultural education.