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Amanda Kaufman's portraits of women take a closer look at body image and confidence

Using watercolour and acrylic to create powerful female portraits, artist Amanda Kaufman explores her own existence as a biracial woman and addresses themes like body image and confidence.

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Colourful portrait of a woman with black shoulder-length hair, blue skin, bright green eyes and magenta lips, wearing gold hoop earrings against a gradient teal to coral background

Completely self-taught and based in Los Angeles, Amanda grew up with a strong Jewish influence. Her father's family are from California; her mother's side from Mexico. "I feel like I’ve been healing through portraits of women that look like me," she explains. "Painting ethnic minority women as a way to erase the Eurocentric beauty standards that have been instilled in me.

"My grandmother (blonde and blue-eyed) taught me how to paint. She painted nude women, as I’ve done for years. She taught me how to paint the female form. Beauty was literally presented to me as a white woman by a white woman. I’m not sure the exact moment I started on my path to self-acceptance but it’s been a long road and still lies far in the distance. I must have gotten to a point as an adult where I realised that I had a vision of what women were supposed to look like and I didn’t fit that idea.

"I started painting women with no faces so that any woman could relate to my paintings. From there I started painting women in colours other than skin tones so that there was no woman that would feel excluded by my work."

With no formal training other than learning from her grandmother, it wasn't until a few years ago when a friend encouraged Amanda to pursue her art. "With a ton of hesitation, I did, and haven’t stopped. Since then, I’ve done poster artwork, group shows and just recently had my first solo show. All from one step into the unknown, I have found my love and have accepted myself as an artist."

To discover more about Amanda Kaufman, check her out on Instagram.

Stylised portrait of a woman with magenta textured hair adorned with flowers, lime-green oval halo, four eyes with yellow and blue eyebrows, pale blue skin and gold earrings against geometric black and yellow shapes
Profile portrait of a woman with pale skin and dark hair wearing a grey hat, overlaid with watercolour and acrylic effects, framed by a neon pink triangle against a blurred green and blue background
Portrait of a woman in profile wearing a red dotted garment and ornate blue halo, with eyes closed against a cloudy blue background
Purple-skinned woman with black hair holding a white flower aloft, surrounded by luminous green leaves, wearing a patterned pink garment with geometric tattoos visible on her body
Portrait of a woman with voluminous orange curled hair, blue-toned face with yellow undertones, crescent moon symbol on forehead, against gradient purple-pink background
Blue-skinned woman with long burgundy braided hair, gold hoop earrings and striped top, surrounded by yellow-green leaves and a glowing halo, against a textured brown background with geometric patterns below
Woman with pale blue and purple face paint, gold-lined eyes and blue lips, wearing a bright pink hood, set against a geometric patterned diamond shape on dark background
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