Stroke of fate - Amanda Bittar

By Desi Dinardo

It can be argued that every creation of art tells a story. If so, then what can be said about a collection of an artist’s work? Does it communicate the life story of the artist? Does it offer a glimpse into her past? In the case of Amanda Bittar, a young and talented Toronto artist, it would be difficult to argue that her upbringing and struggles early in life have not made a significant impact on her art and approach to developing her craft.

Bittar recounts how, at the age of nine, her world fell apart when she learned she was being lied to about her biological father and the people she thought were blood relatives, such as grandparents and a half-sister. Years of struggle and conflict with her mother ensued until she was 14, when her mother asked her to move out of the house. She recalls being given one week to say goodbye to her friends and gather her meagre belongings, which consisted of a few articles of clothing and some toys, before being ousted from her Mississauga residence and sent to live in a group home in Toronto. With no money, no family support, and no job, Bittar’s future looked as dim and uncertain as her bleak and thorny past.

For the next couple years, she found herself working several part-time jobs while attending school. By the time Bittar turned 16 she was renting her own apartment and had already worked in a variety of fields — from telemarketer to hair stylist to assistant in a tattoo parlour — anything so long as she could make ends meet. But soon daily, basic functions like getting a good night’s rest, doing well in school, or eating three meals a day had become permanent, looming question marks. During her darkest, most desperate moments, when she found herself hungry and homeless, Bittar took to drinking. After two perilous bouts with kidney infection, one which landed her in the hospital for a month, she decided she’d had enough and turned to her passion.

Bittar, who enjoyed doodling and sketching as a young child, began experimenting with oil paint three years ago and evolved into a skillful self-taught artist. She describes her craft as the only way to escape the seedy temptations of street life, which had, at one time, plagued her to the point she felt there was no way out. She used her remarkable talent for painting to overcome the odds and from becoming simply another statistic. Bittar claims her plan was simple: she set goals, kicked bad habits, abandoned “bad seed” acquaintances, set aside time for her craft, worked harder than ever to support herself, and did one other significant thing; she stopped feeling sorry for herself. Since working full-time, she has sold her prints internationally to large corporations, donated paintings to Zoocheck Canada Inc. in order to raise money and awareness for cormorants, and has even been invited to showcase her work in the general office of one of Ontario’s MPPs. Now, at the age of 21, she is not only a promising, successful artist but has recently opened up her own art gallery.

For someone who never studied art, her work has been likened to the famous painter of the Art Deco period, Tamara de Lempicka, for her hauntingly striking images and use of intense colour and contrast. Bittar employs a thin brushstroke technique with diluted paint to combine the forms of realism and surrealism in her work. The piercingly ethereal and perceptive gaze in her subjects’ faces is the first thing to catch your eye. When asked whether the subject is made to look through you or at you and whether there is a specific message being relayed, Bittar indulges in a furtive smile before responding. “That’s up to the audience to decide. It’s whatever you’re feeling at the time. It’s a reflection of whatever’s happening in your life at the time.”

Bittar’s story is a touching account of personal loss and triumph. “What I had to go through, I don’t wish on my worst enemy. I still get terrified whenever I hear someone’s heavy footsteps climbing the stairs. I worry about what’s going to happen next.” It’s still much too early for and form of reconciliation with her mother, but she says, “things happen for a reason. We have to accept that. We have to realize everyone’s fate is different and there’s little we can do about it.” In that case, she too, will just have to come to grips with the noises — the positive feedback, the overwhelming approval, the eager applause. And she’ll just have to get accustomed to the sound of anxious, thumping feet ascending the back stairs to the Amanda Bittar Gallery.

Amanda Bittar’s work can be viewed at: www.artsfuture.com.

Desi Di Nardo is a writer in Toronto whose work has been published in numerous North American journals.