I am Amanda and the woman in my paintings is my muse or perhaps my guardian angel, Elanora.

If you’ve ever had the sensation of Déjà vu, you’ll understand what I mean when I explain finding Elanora’s daguerreotype at an outdoor market in Lille, France. The image was a beautiful, interesting-looking, young woman. On the back was etched “Elanora, 1870.” Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a very messy way, she was a little buck-toothed, and she donned an eyepatch over her right eye. More than anything though, I was taken in by her expression and the feeling that I already knew her. She was so familiar and I felt a sense of comfort after finding her photo. She didn’t look like a gentile, bashful young woman like you’d imagine women of that time, but rather she looked like some kind of badass pirate. Instantly I was obsessed, and I knew she meant something significant to me. For 18 years I have painted versions of her from small glimpses I get into her world, through my dreams and sometimes in my waking life, usually in my loft where I live and paint. She provides me with endless material and is functioning as my guiding light.

There is so much more to this story that stems back to my childhood, where all of this may have actually begun...... but for now, my wish is that you will enjoy getting a glimpse into Elanora’s world through my paintings. I hope that every time you look at one of my paintings, you discover something you didn’t see before. They hold so many little nuances and messages, that it would be hard to absorb it all with only one look. I’m doing my best to capture the richness and bizarre nature of the interesting life of Elanora and her message that is pure light and love.