Amanda Houston
Cornelius, Oregon
Amanda Houston is a signature, award-winning member of the Northwest Pastel Society (NWPS). As a child living in Africa and Saudi Arabia, she remembers watching her mother paint oil landscapes as a hobby. Both her parents were educators and encouraged her to follow her creative passion. Amanda was educated in New England and holds a B.S. in Apparel Design & Merchandising from University of Vermont and a graduate degree in Textile Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Growing up on three continents, Amanda has been inspired by much of the world. She now lives on thirty breathtaking acres in Cornelius, Oregon capturing the beauty of the landscapes that surround her.
Amanda was awarded Honorable Mention this winter at the national Pastel 100 Competition (honoring the best 100 pastels of the year). In April, she received the Award of Excellence, one of the top five awards among the world's elite pastelists, at the 32nd International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibition in Tacoma, WA. Most recently, Amanda received the 2nd Place Award in the 32nd NWPS International Open Exhibition. Growing up on three continents, Amanda has been inspired by much of the world. She now lives on thirty breath-taking acres in Cornelius, Oregon and spends her time capturing the beauty of the landscapes that surround her.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
As a child living in Africa and Saudi Arabia, she remembers watching her mother paint oil landscapes as a hobby. Both of her parents were educators and encouraged her to follow her creative passion. Amanda was educated in New England and holds a B.S. in Apparel Design & Merchandising (honors) from the University of Vermont and a graduate degree in Textile Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. She was L.L. Bean's first apparel designer in the 80's, Nike's first Apparel Innovation Director in the 90's and then helped launch Nike's first e-commerce business.
After 17 years of traveling, designing and merchandising sports apparel for big global brands, she found she was creating less and managing more. "Eventually the only colored pens on my desk were highlighters for reading financial reports and market research trends. I always knew that I would paint someday, But I didn't want to wait till I was 65 to start." She is now allowing the time for the artist in her to flourish.
Amanda and her husband have been renovating an old historic hunting lodge west of Portland on a thirty-acre estate where they are raising natural grass-fed-beef. She has two young sons, and a black lab. She loves to ride her bike, cook, garden, sail, and compete in local sporting events. She splits her time between Cornelius, Oregon and the San Juan Islands while squeezing time in to paint whenever she can. She is a signature award winning member of the Northwest Pastel Society, sits on the board for the Valley Art Gallery in Forest Grove, OR, where she is their top selling artist.
