Amanda Shea Bouchard-Walton is a mother, wife and artisan craftsman from the coastal Islands of Maine. With an eye for making something old, new again. She is a self-taught maker that enjoys upcycling weathered wooden pallets and deconstructing each one by hand to create art that remains useful.
Amanda has a New England sensibility for the old-fashioned beauty of reclaimed wood and functional simplicity of metal and iron hook merged together to bring new life as a utilitarian object. Functional art objects with the ability to perform an intended function. Amanda sells full time on Etsy, Farmer's Markets and Craft Shows as Revamped and Revived.
Statement: I tear apart weathered used wooden pallets, separating the hard woods from the soft woods and pulling out each nail to clean. I sand each board down to be free of dirt and contaminants in one part of my home studio. I carefully select each piece of wood to make sure the item I am making comes together beautifully. While each individual item I make may have the same design, each one is different from the unique differences in the woods characteristics. Hooks, knobs, glass and other metal findings are added to some of my pieces.
In the other side of my home studio, each piece is painted, hand-distressed, stained sealed and finish with all non-toxic materials. As each piece finds it's color or purpose, they often become more beautiful with use.
Most recently I have been playing with adding leather, clay or painted designs for customization for my customers. With occasional help from my highly trained assistant, my youngest precocious son, age 5, pieces are packaged and mail out. I enjoy the process and flexibly of being a mother and full-time seller on Etsy since 2013. Expanding into the WREN gallery, selling at the local Farmers' Markers and local Craft Shows, it is an exciting new direction.
