Taking an interest in art since elementary school, Amanda Barnes, from Auburn, CA was a painting and drawing major at California College of the Arts in San Francisco when things changed while crossing the street. Amanda was paralyzed in a hit and run accident three years ago, and, although her life has seemingly changed, her goals and aspirations to spend her life creating art and inspiring people has only intensified. Ms. Barnes believes when you really see art you are able to transcend reality, yet make sense of reality at the same time and in ways that words can’t describe. She uses bold colors in her work and ranges from realistic forms to abstracts, sometimes mixing styles.

Amanda’s life has been temporarily redirected towards recovery and rehabilitation. However, she is pushing eagerly to reach her goals in the art world, completing a degree in Digital Art, and eventually finding a job with a company like Pixar or Dreamworks.

She hopes to become the type of hero Christopher Reeve describes:

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

As part of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, Amanda Barnes is a featured artist in the “Unbroken: Art After Injury” show at Next Door Café in Chicago.