Amanda Thompson graduated from the University of Indianapolis (UIndy) in May of 2021. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with concentrations in Painting and Printmaking. She first became interested in art at a very young age with coloring books. Around age five she approached her mom with a drawing, asking for advice. Thompson said, “I asked my mom if she liked the drawing… She said, ‘no, I think you can do better’ and that really pushed me to try harder; to do better.”

When the time came for Thompson to decide which college to attend, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) seemed her top choice. The school offered affordable tuition and had an accredited art program. What drove her to choose UIndy was meeting the staff and learning that, though a private college with a higher starting tuition, UIndy distributed large amounts of scholarships. This was also what brought me (Leah Diekhoff) to attend UIndy.

A print of Amanda Thompson’s “Beautiful but Dangerous,” Framed by The Rumjahn Gallery

I asked Thompson why she chose art as a major. She explained that her Dad is a very practical individual which made her nervous to choose art but both her parents were extremely supportive in whatever decision she made. She would often get asked questions from many individuals such as, “what do you plan to do with art? Teach? Curate? Work in a museum?” Common questions for an aspiring artist. Thompson, though she didn’t want to teach, curate, or work in a museum, knew that art had to be a part of her life and career. Her Dad told her, “you will always have people questioning your career as an artist. Prove everyone wrong by continuing to be dedicated.”

Leah Diekhoff (Left) Amanda Thompson (Right)

Thompson and I first met in our freshman year. We had lots of overlapping classes, as I also was a Fine Arts student with concentration in Painting. During our freshman and sophomore years, our drawing and painting classes did not allow for boundary pushing. The daytime classes allowed for us to communicate but overall didn’t have as much of an impact on either of us as the classes in our junior and senior years. During these last years, the fine art classes changed to the evening and our classroom was accessible only by a code designed specifically for students in those classes. We were allowed in at all hours of the day (until COVID hit) so Thompson and I spent countless hours of the night working together. These higher level classes allowed for us to experiment more with our content and style.

Throughout high school and up until this point, Thompson mostly painted landscapes but she had grown tired of them; there was something missing, something she needed to keep her interest. A collage project our junior year required that we collect a myriad of images we would compile into a whole new creation. Thompson and I both fell in love with the idea of meshing together multiple thoughts, ideas and images to create striking atypical creations. Both of our work from then became more surrealistic in style. Mine more dark and fantastical and hers more whimsical and colorful. For her, she took an interest in combining things she wasn’t as comfortable with, unsure how they might turn out. But challenging herself by combining unusual pairings was what made this newfound style intriguing. I, on the other hand, took to bringing the oddities of my dreams to life.

She and I bonded over our similar stylistic interest. We remain close friends and talk about art every time we see each other. Amanda continues to create artwork, while also working in marketing. She aspires to open her own business in the future, possibly a maker’s space for artists where she can both help other artists create their dream and continue creating her own.

Indianapolis Artist Amanda Thompson

5901 Vogel Road, Evansville IN 47715

(812) 250-1654