Artist Draws What Really Happens Behind Closed Doors In Every Relationship (30 New Pics)

Inspired by her own romantic relationship with her now husband, whom she has been married to for over a year, and true stories of people around her, she is revealing an intimate and genuine side of relationships that might not always be so glamorous. Ideas that come from raw, personal life experiences is what makes her art so heartwarming. Oleander’s unique style packed with intricate details and subtle humor is able to convey the sense of authenticity and emotions we experience in our daily routine. The artist herself describes her work as figurative and colorful.

The artist told Bored Panda that she is enthralled by the way people behave when no one sees them. The scenarios she portrays in her genuine illustrations are as real as it gets and they show that love can be simple.

“I create the artwork that I do because it's a way for me to lock in a moment in time authentically that was never photographed, and even if it were to be photographed, it might alter the reality of it because we know we are being photographed. Viewing my art is like being a fly on the wall.

I'm not creating art to please other people or creating art from experiences I don't personally understand or have lived through. I am creating from the truest, deepest part of me and my personal experiences.”

“I think it's important to share the reality of relationships for many reasons,” says Oleander. “My reality in my personal relationship might be very different from another person's reality or very similar. I think it's important because some people might feel comfort in the artwork, others might feel like they haven't experienced this type of love and it's something to look forward to. Some might feel seen. I think every person will experience the art differently depending on their life experiences, but at the end of the day, it makes people feel something and that is important.”

Oleader’s husband is very supportive and doesn’t mind their life being shared with over 1M people across the globe.

“He loves it. Every day, when I finish an art piece, he comes into the art studio to take a peep and shows as much enthusiasm for the 600th drawing as he did for the 6th drawing of us. It's really sweet and motivating for me to see how much happiness it brings him to see our moments immortalized by art.”

Romance and long-term relationships aren’t the only subjects she tackles in her quirky illustrations, so even if you are "forever" alone, you will be able to find yourself in Amanda’s work. She regularly highlights other types of love in a similarly realistic way, such as relationships with family and friends, affection towards pets, and self-love. She isn’t afraid to be true to herself and depict characters as they really are–exhausted, with hair in the weirdest places, ingrown disasters, and other brutally honest women's struggles. Many of her illustrations have a metaphorical deeper meaning with a story behind them. They often reflect on relatable topics such as finding your identity and self-growth as well as global problems everyone has to deal with, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Amanda often engages her audience by inviting them to interpret her drawings before reading her explanation.

Oleander loved drawing and painting since she can remember and considers finding her passion in life as her biggest accomplishment.

“Life is constantly changing, new experiences are always happening. My art goes hand in hand with my personal life experiences so there's always more to illustrate. I love illustrating and painting, it's where a lot of my happiness comes from.”