My Southern Draw
Artist Statement—Amanda McKinley
My artwork has always been a source of strength within me, almost like a second heartbeat. At a young age, I was introduced to art and music, and it was then that I found an inner piece of my soul. My analytical mind has provided me with the ability to study, think about, and find the purity in the most basic and common things, things that others
often refer to as part of everyday life. It is within these things that I have found the rhythm and flow of life, the breathing soul of the South, My Home. What can I say about the South and my simple country life? At times, there are no words, and it is then that I create my art. Our region is full of beauty and has an air of nature’s energy like no other place. We have a rich history, but also a history of pain and adversity. Southerners have worked many, long years to overcome that adversity, providing the abundance of creativity in poetry, music, theatre and films, and art. My work depicts various southern icons, imagery and scenery. I have used opposing forces, black and white, in a harmonious and beautifully haunting manner. Without these forces, my work would not be complete, for one cannot stand alone without the other. Southerners have forged on, building upon its intriguing history. My artwork demonstrates that spirit…the spirit of faith, the beauty of harmony, the charm in simple things and the richness of My South.
