Artist's Statement Historically, art has been recognized as one avenue to the soul. I find that this is true for me. Being at one with myself in the creative process has a way of opening me to the larger mystery of life. For me, there is nothing more exciting than experiencing the transcendent moment when the print comes off the press or the brush meets the canvas. Making art through the manipulation of color, form, medium, and composition has been a way for me to find my unique voice. As I paint or print I reach deep into myself to explore, express, heal and play. In these processes I find true joy and I come home to myself. Sharing my art with others brings the process full circle. It is in this sharing of myself with the viewer that an authentic connection is made. I trust that through this connection in some unexplainable way our souls touch. Biography Ann, an energetic painter and printmaker, discovered her passion for art making after raising a family and spending twenty plus years as a psychotherapist. A native Arkansan, she attended the University of Arkansas where she was first exposed to formal art classes. She continued to study art with private instructors at various times in her life. Her early work, consisting primarily of vibrant landscapes reflects the influence of the impressionist masters Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, and Paul Cezanne. When she took her first printmaking workshop from master printer, Ron Pokrasso, she fell in love with monotype. This unique process of printmaking, which produces one-of-a-kind works of art on paper, fascinated her. She is continuing to study this process of printmaking at the Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, NM where she lives part-time.Her recent studies with internationally known painter, Roberto Juarez, in New York propelled her into her current series of paintings with mixed media. This series explores her continued interest in the polarities within human nature and behavior. Ann states: “I believe the challenge we all face as individuals, groups, and nations is to be able to understand, accept and hold the tension between polarities in ourselves and with others…polarities such as ‘us/them’ ‘good/bad’ ‘black/white’ ‘have/have not’.” Through the use of color, form, and layering her work reflects a push-pull tension between the seen/unseen, surface/depth, conscious/unconscious. There is an up front, direct quality in the work that is combined with the suggestion of mysteries hidden within dimensions below the surface. Ann calls upon the work of masters such as Picasso, Hans Hoffman, Robert Motherwell, Robert Rauschenberg and Mark Rothko, as well as, that of her two artist daughters, Laura and Amy, for inspiration. Born: Fayetteville, Arkansas Education: BSHE, University of Arkansas MSE, Arkansas State University
REPRESENTED BY M2 Gallery, Little Rock, AR Blue Moon Gallery, Hot Springs, AR Sara Howell Gallery, Jonesboro, AR Nault Fine Art, Oklahoma City, OK Artistas de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM Hannah Davis Gallery. Memphis TN |
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