Amanda Surveski is a Connecticut based artist who grew up with an infatuation for art and nature. She left Connecticut to pursue a degree in illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, and studied abroad in Southern France. Her time spent in the remote village of Lacoste, ignited her interest in creating art centered around nature. After graduation she returned to the Northeast and began volunteering in wildlife rehab where she fostered a close, personal connection to native New England wildlife. Since then, Amanda has aimed to create images that connect back to local ecological issues, provoking those who see her work to engage more with the natural world, and hopefully in turn, protect it.
Amanda works in a variety of media including graphite, watercolor, colored pencil and acrylic. She enjoys experimenting with digital media and trying new combinations of mixed media to create realistic textures and colors. Amanda has shown her work in galleries across the United States and worldwide and won numerous awards.
In 2022, Amanda started working as a naturalist for the Holland America Line cruises in Alaska. She has traveled extensively through SE Alaska educating passengers on local wildlife, hosting wildlife spottings and offering presentations and programing about Alaskan wildlife to guests.
When not drawing or painting in her studio, Amanda works full-time as a freelance artist and graphic designer. You can often find her around Connecticut, New York, and New England displaying her work at shows and fairs. She teaches workshops on nature journaling, drawing classes for the West Hartford Art League and works one-on-one with aspiring artists.
She is currently available for projects and collaborations, as well as custom work including pet portraits.
Amanda is a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators, Lyme Arts Association, Makers with Moxie and The Nutmeg Collective.
CURRICULUM VITAE
EDUCATION
2017
BFA Illustration, Savannah College of Art and Design
Minor in Scientific Illustration
Summa cume laude
2016
Study Abroad Program, SCAD Lacoste, France
RESIDENCIES
2021 Iceland Art Residency, Light Grey Art Lab
2019 FVAC Artist in Residence, CT
PUBLICATIONS
Télérama Magazine, Weekly Edition, August 2, 2023
The End is Nigh: Limited Edition Art Anthology, 2021
Backyard Pollinators: A Partnership with Plants, 2021
Along the Atlantic: Coloring Nature, 2019
Hatchlings: A Coloring Anthology, 2018
Creative Quarterly 51, 2018
The Port City Review, 2017
SELECT CLIENTS
Tantor Media, Luna Creative, Mystic Aquarium, KidsPlay Children’s Museum, Nikki Martinkovic Designs, Lenox, HigherEdge, White Flower Farm, Audubon Sharon, J&C Rodgers LLC, White Memorial Conservation Center, Télérama Magazine
LECTURES & WORKSHOPS
Classroom teacher for: Drawing Basics, Advanced Rendering & Drawing Techniques, Drawing Open Studio at the West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT,
Naturalist Lecturer and Guide, Holland America Cruise Line, Southeast Alaska
Nature Journaling Lecture & Demo, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT, 2022
Nature Journaling and Drawing Workshop, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT, 2022
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2022
Nancy Fritsche Acrylic Award for ‘Barn Owl’, CT+6, West Hartford Art League
Awarded ‘Best in Show’ for Forest Fawn, Windsor Art Center
2019
Awarded ‘Favorite New Artist’ by the Old Wethersfield Historical Society
Selected by CT Department of Economic and Community development to represent Connecticut businesses at The Big Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA.
2018
Creative Quarterly 51, Runner-up
Featured Artist, Coroflot.com, Bird Alphabet
2017
Snuggle Bunnies, honorable mention award in Port City Review, Savannah, GA
The Bees and the Flowers, published in Port City Review
2016
Harwinton Public Library Juror's Award for, To Live Without Fear
Featured in SCAD Illustration Anthology
ADDITIONAL EDUCATION
2022
Monoprinting and chine collé, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
2020
Certificate in Natural History Illustration 101, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
ONLINE FEATURES
Interview with Oliver Wolcott Library
Spot illustrations of Bird Alphabet featured in Télérama Magazine Online Publication, August 2, 2023, weekly edition
SOLO EXHIBITS
2022
A Day in the Life: The Work of Amanda Surveski, Simsbury Public Library, Simsbury, CT
2021
Wild New England, Jamie Gagarin Art Gallery, Litchfield, CT
2020
Amanda Surveski: Artist in Residence, Fisher Galley, Farmington Valley Arts Center, Avon, CT
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
CT+6, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
2023
Deck the Walls, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
Small Works, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
CT Women Artists Annual National Juried Exhibition, Tunxis College, Farmington, CT
Member’s Show, Windsor Arts Center, Windsor, CT
Faculty 5, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
Connecticut Creatures, West Hartford Art Emporium, West Hartford Public Library, West Hartford, CT
Member’s Show, Washington Art Association, Washington Depot, CT
2022
Faculty Show, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
Deck the Walls, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
Small Works, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
CT Women Artists Annual National Juried Exhibition, West Hartford, CT
CT+6 Regional Show, West Hartford, CT
Member’s Show, Windsor Arts Center, Windsor, CT
Handcrafted, West Hartford Art League, West Hartford, CT
Visions of Spring, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
2021
Deck the Walls, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
The End is Nigh, Light Grey Art Lab, Minneapolis, MN
Ships to Shores, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
FLORA, Gallery 263, Cambridge, MA
Call of the Wild, San Fernando Valley Arts & Cultural Center, San Fernando, CA
Expanding Visions, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
2020
Deck the Walls, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
Animal Kingdom, Lyme Arts Association, Old Lyme, CT
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Annual Juried Exhibit, Online
Coming Together, Farmington Valley Arts Center, Fisher Gallery, Avon, CT
2019
Mass Migrations, GNSI New England, Massasoit Community College, Canton, MA
2018
Mass Migrations, GNSI New England, Lakeville, MA
Scientific Illustration, FE Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2017
Alexander Ink Gallery Show, Alexander Gallery, Savannah, GA
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Annual Juried Art Exhibit, Asheville, NC
Illustration Expo, SCAD, Savannah, GA
Port City Review: Exhibition of Selected Artwork, Alexander Gallery, Savannah, GA
2016
Patterns in Nature, SCAD, Savannah, GA
Meet the Beetles!, Art.Science.Gallery, Austin, TX
Illustration Open Studio, Lacoste, France
2015
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Annual Juried Art Exhibit, Glenside, PA
Scientific Illustration Exhibition, SCAD, Savannah, GA
Drawing Works Exhibition, SCAD, Savannah, GA
2014
Foundations Honors Show, SCAD, Savannah, GA