Fine Art alumna shares insight into painting career

A purple background with pink circles on with an image of Amber smiling in the middle of the canvas.

Amber Cannings has exhibited her artwork across the UK since she graduated in 2020, with her work recently reaching Germany where she is currently based.

Wandering in a foreign city by night by Amber Cannings.A paintings of the front of a building which includes a tree, balcony and people sitting at a table.

Amber’s paintings are characterised by their moody atmosphere and present the viewpoint of an onlooker in order to explore memory, nostalgia and space. Her paintings often reference her childhood, growing up in Wales, her travels in Spain, and her current experiences of relocating to and living in Berlin. Much of Amber’s work relates to space and her paintings capture moments of stillness, fragments of reality and human experiences.  

Since graduating, Amber’s artwork has been extremely successful, and she has collected many accolades in recent years. In 2020, Amber was the recipient of the Holly Bush Emerging Woman Painter Prize for her painting ‘Park Life’. More recently Amber completed an artist residency at the Spansh Cel Del Nord in 2022. She was inspired to work in Spain - which she sees as her geographical muse - after completing a year abroad at the Universidad De Zaragoza in Teruel. During her residency, Amber used the small village as inspiration for her artwork 

Amber Cannings Portrait of the side profile of Eva Mamlok.

Amber Cannings portrait of Eva Mamlok

Her most recent exhibition took place in Berlin at Gallery Auslage from 20 May until 3 June. Amber showcased the portrait of an anti-fascist resistance fighter, Eva Mamlok who acted as a force against the rise of the Nazi Party in the early 20th century at the age of 14.  

Amber shared what the exhibition meant to her. She said:  

“I have found it an honour to work on such a project so that the history is not forgotten, and Mamlok’s story can live on.” 

You can find more of Amber’s work on Instagram 

Zu Spati by Amber Cannings. A painting of cafe's and storefronts surrounded by people.

 Zu Spati by Amber Cannings