About Amanda

Amanda Kavanagh is a passionate botanical artist based in Cumbria. Her keen eye for detail and love for nature are evident in her captivating drawings and paintings. With a deep appreciation for the beauty of botanical subjects, Amanda's work aims to showcase the intricate artistry found in the natural world. Her portfolio reflects a blend of artistic vision and technical skill, resulting in stunning imagery that celebrates the essence of each botanical marvel.

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Exhibitions

• Sunday 3rd May 2026 - Art in the Park, Ford Park, Ulverston

• Sunday 31st May 2026 - PromArt, Grange over Sands

• Sunday 26th July 2026 - PromArt, Grange over Sands

• Saturday 29th August 2026 - Millom and Broughton Agricultural Show, Broughton in Furness

• Saturday 12th/Sunday 13th September 2026 - Kirksanton Art Show, Kirksanton

• Sunday 27th September 2026 - PromArt, Grange over Sands​​​​​​​

 

Mediums

Amanda Kavanagh works in different mediums to bring nature alive on a page or canvas. Starting out in watercolour, the holy grail of botanical illustration mediums, Amanda began to catalogue the flowers in her garden and surrounding area.  Favouring hot press paper for its smooth appearance and the beautiful, naturally curated range of paints from Wallace Seymour (a small family company based in Settle in the Yorkshire Dales). 

After receiving a Christmas present of a full set of Faber Castell Polychromos pencils, she found she could articulate the tiniest of details to produce wonderfully intricate drawings.  

To balance out the intensive nature of botanical illustration she went on to start producing oil paintings and soft pastel renditions of flourishing flowers in a more fluid style and now rotates between all four mediums to produce a botanical catalogue to suit different home environments and gallery showcases.

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Inspiration

Amanda works with the flora around her home in the Lake District, Cumbria taking inspiration from the flowers in her garden and the public spaces around the locale.  A keen fell walker in her spare time, Amanda often photographs plants and fungi on her travels to use as creative prompts when back in the studio.

To aid the illustration of botanical intricacies of each plant, Amanda has an extensive library of gardening manuals, RHS, Kew Gardens and Botanical Society tomes and a collection of antique and vintage books.