Turtle, 2017 - Amanda Wells. Inspired by a friend's trip up north to help with a turtle nesting program, I decided to try and paint a turtle. I don't think it will be the last time I paint these beautiful creatures! 

Abe's Eye, 2016 - Amanda Wells.
Prompted by a discussion thread in a facebook group, people started posting up close pictures of their eyes, and it set me on a path of obsessively painting and drawing eyes again. This one is Abe's eye, based on a photo taken with their iPhone.

My Eye Looking Up, 2016 - Amanda Wells.
Continuing on my renewed obsession with drawing eyes, I decided to draw the eye I'm most familiar with, but in a way that I'm not used to seeing it. So I took a picture of myself looking up, and painted the result. 

His Eye Looking At Me, 2016 - Amanda Wells

My husband has beautiful eyes. Amidst my eye-painting phase, I asked him to look straight at me while I held the camera. 

Jo's Eye from Toulouse, 2016 - Amanda Wells.

Preparing for an exhibition, I was nervously messaging my friends with requests for pictures of eyes to draw. My friend Jo, who lives in Toulouse, sent me a photo looking straight at the camera with no make up on. 

Lost in Thought/Playlist, 2016 - Amanda Wells

The third quarter of 2016 was emotional and difficult, after the loss of a friend to suicide. I started painting a portrait of myself listening to a playlist free hand, and didn't like the proportions. So I used a light box to correct the spacing and started again below the first. The result resonated with me so much that it became less an experiment, and more a finished piece. 

Judi & Helen, 2016 - Amanda Wells

My wonderful friends Helen and Judi are a magnificent force in my life. They work very hard, they care very much, and they have a great time. I painted their portrait as a gift after the hard work they both put in to the 2016 Zonta Birthing Kit project in Brisbane.