Iana Amauba was raised in different cities in the Pacific Northwest. Compelled by a book of Norman Rockwell, she was determined at the age of 5 to become an artist and has pursued that goal ever since.  She received her Bachelor’s from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago majoring in painting, graphic design, and drawing. Having studied with such artists as Susanna Coffey and Dan Gustan, Iana developed a large interest in the depiction of the human form. She then moved to New York City and received her Master’s from the New York Academy of Art. There she received further technical training and in-depth practice regarding traditional figure drawing and painting processes. Upon graduating from the New York Academy, Iana was a part of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Black Romantic exhibition in 2002. The exhibition, curated by Thelma Golden, received national press and featured a group of African-American artists using traditional methods to depict black figurative imagery, romanticism, realism and or/social realism.  Thereafter, Iana went on to further explore content and subject matter by completing artist residencies at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and the Vermont Studio Center. Iana’s interaction with peers and professionals in the industry, allowed for a constant exchange of ideas and dialogue in addition to, a continued development of craft and application. It has been through these opportunities and constant personal practice that Iana continues her life as a visual artist. Along with showing in New York City, Iana has been exhibited in group exhibitions in Oregon, Illinois, Maryland and Nebraska. She has private collections in several states as well as London, England plus artwork in Multnomah County’s Portable Works collection. Iana lives and works in Portland, Oregon.