Meet Amanda K Snyder

We recently connected with Amanda K Snyder and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda K, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Finding my purpose slowly came into focus by following what I was most passionate about. I’ve always known I wanted to create art. It started with commercial art in advertising then running a letterpress shop. I found joy in seeing people’s reactions to my work. But it wasn’t until I started fine art painting again that I realized my true purpose for making art.

It was at my first art show, a couple came up to one of my paintings of a motel pool scene. The wife had an immediate reaction to the painting, it stirred up positive memories for her. Summers spent all day at the neighborhood pool with friends. This painting was very personal to me, as the child in the painting was my mom. So to me, that was the only thing I saw and connected with. But that was when I realized how others found themselves in the paintings. They connected with it in a very different way than I had. Now I view my paintings as a way to let others travel back in their memories to cherished moments. To points in time that, maybe, had slipped their mind over the years. The purpose with my work is to hopefully let others connect with moments in their life.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a figurative painter living and working in Denver, CO. Mainly working in acrylic on canvas, recreating lost moments in time from vintage photographs, bringing these once unforgettable days back to life. Currently, represented by the SeeSaw Art Gallery in Englewood, CO. Look for my upcoming online show in January, on Artsy. And this summer, I have a solo show in Colorado at the SeeSaw Art Gallery (May- August 2025).

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I would say first, it’s important to be true to yourself and what you love. That’s what will set you apart from others. Find your passion and create for yourself. You have to turn off the noise from the outside. There is true originality in creating in that way.

Second is finding your community. At the beginning of the year I was accepted into the Denver Art District on Santa Fe’s Emerging Artist Residency program. It was as amazing opportunity to meet local artists and galleries. Community plays such an important roll in an artists growth, there is always so much to learn. Sharing ideas and resources with a positive network of creatives is invaluable. And also feeling like you have something to contribute to the community as well.

And third would be finding consistency in your work and practice. You have to have a clear vision or concept that you are trying to communicate. Then, maybe the most important part, you have to stay with it. Get into a rhythm of creating.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

I’m constantly reading and looking for nuggets of inspiration from other artists! Currently, I’ve found myself interested in female artists from the 1960s and 70s. I just finished reading “Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler and 1950s New York” by Alexander Nemerov. Helen was an American Abstract Expressionist painter, who worked alongside Jackson Pollock. She had a strong confidence and bravery, at a time when it was a very male-dominated art world. I find the way she thought about art truly inspiring. She thought art should have no rules or boundaries. She painted in a new way by pouring paint onto a raw canvas. She went against tradition techniques and ways of thinking. One of the quotes from the book that has as stuck with me is “The light touch is often the strongest gesture of all” -Helen (1962.) When I’m painting I’m always reminded of this thought. I find that there is so much strength and power in simplicity. And how one mark on the canvas can say so much.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amandaksnyderart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaksnyderart/