Amanda Retus is the featured summer artist on display in the Art and Ale window at Gritty’s in Auburn. Her work will be on display through August. Submitted photo

Amanda Retus is the featured summer artist on display in the Art and Ale window at Gritty’s in Auburn. Her work will be on display through August.

Originally from Needham, Massachusetts, Retus has been a Maine resident since 2000. She loves to drive through the Eastern pines, the mountains and the ocean, capturing the beauty around her with her camera. She has a great eye for composition and a love of nature which fuel the subject matter of her paintings. She has a beautiful loose style rich with texture, color, emotion and expressive brushstrokes. She works primarily in acrylic and also enjoys watercolor, oil paint and oil pastel. She is currently a student at Wicked Illustrations Studio and Gallery.

About her work, she says, “As a child, I had a dream that I was painting in Paris, France. I never forgot the feel of the brush strokes and have started to recreate that feeling with my art today. This series captures the beauty of nature, real and imagined, that I encounter on my weekend drives.”

To purchase work email wickedillustrations@gmail.com. For information about showing go to wickedillustrations.com.