Amanda Surrey (Panda) started The Life and Times of a Sri Lankan Panda Bear as a comic book Christmas present for friends. Aided by osmosis and years of reading comics she has a sense of what works on the page.
The stories are freely taken from her own life and experiences, each issue explores different ways of presenting, and drawing Panda. These range from autobiography, light hearted snapshots, one page comic strips and playful interpretations of her own poems.
The Life and Times of a Sri Lankan Panda Bear like Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, is an ode to love, friendship and the little things which lift us.
Panda moved from Microsoft Paint to experiment with stamps, watercolour pencils, felt pens, collage, thin black lines and pages ripped out of Moleskine notebooks.
Panda was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand, eventually moving to Melbourne where she has lived ever since. She hangs out with a cat named Haruki Murakami, writes poetry and short stories and in her spare time works as a law librarian.
Praise for Panda
Thank you so very much for the panda issues. I love them. The newest arrived this morning and I honestly almost cried I thought it was so lovely and great and special and perfect. X
-Chrissie, Berlin
hey! i recieved your comic wow! i'm really impressed it's f**king brilliant your f**kin brilliant ya know amanda! i think you may have gotten a lot cooler with age .
-Mark, Wellington
Loved your Panda no 3 - it was very inscrutable, you are very clever.
-Petal, Canberra
Awards
2011 Federation of Australian Writers John Shaw Neilson Poetry Prize
Exhibitions
2018 Hall and Wilcox Emerging Artists Exhibition
2006 BHP Inaugural Staff Art Exhibition
Published (writing)
2019 second and third dates. n-SCRIBE 14
2016 My France. Hecate Journal
2010 the great ocean road, December 30. Overland
2010 Communion Triptych. The Record
2009 eureka! The Age
1988 A Change of Sink. A collection of poetry and short stories by ten Auckland writers
Education
Master of Arts (English Literature), Auckland University
Bachelor of Arts (English Literature and Art History), Auckland University
Post Graduate Diploma in Information Management, RMIT University