Amber Ardea

My name is Amber Ardea. I am an artist who specializes in fine art portraits in oil. I currently live in northern Virginia with my son.

As a child, my entire imagination was based in the world outside where I would explore every inch of my mom’s vast property in rural southern Georgia. I was constantly swimming—or climbing up trees. I would even sleep in the hammocks on my screened-in porch during long summers, where the sounds of crickets lulled me to sleep. This simultaneous need for both peace and adventure continues to inspire me and my work to this day.

Can I Tell You a Story?

When I was very young adult, I joined my friend and seven other people that I did not know at the time for what ended up being a month’s long camping trip to one of very remote barrier islands in Georgia. On the surface, it is true that I had an absolute blast—becoming fast friends with everyone there and having campfires and playing music. I loved the sense of adventure and freedom that I had—we would go out on boats into the ocean almost daily, wonder around the island trying to avoid armadillos, or go skinny-dipping on the beach. But I also had such a sense of belonging and community. I found the experience to be so peaceful—I was mesmerized by the lull of the ocean, the sound of the wind, the sway of the leaves as I looked up from my hammock in the morning, the sound of rain on the tarp.  And ultimately, what I found there was a sense of connection. In that moment, I felt connected to others with such a strong sense of community, connected to myself from those long meditative moments, and connected to the world and the beautiful island that I was blessed to have visited.

I find myself constantly wanting to relive moments like that. As an adult, it is in these places and moments with friends and family that I have sought refuge time and time again from the world. I am blessed to paint. My goal is to convey the both the immense joy and calming peace that we all can feel in moments like this, and I hope to inspire the protection of our natural world.