About the Artist

Where do you live and work?

I live in Western North Carolina in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Spring arrives early in the mountains. The beauty of the natural surroundings was the call to relocate from Florida to this vibrant arts community. My home art studio overlooks flower gardens, a small Japanese temple, and a rolling hillside with tall trees. 

How do you describe your style? 

My style is an interpretation of the French Impressionist painters. I want viewers to experience the colors and the energy I feel when I look at my surroundings. For me, it is all about using pastel to draw freely on sanded surfaces.  Mark-making, sheer layers of dry pigment, and bold strokes are like language. It is the "tooth" of 400-grit piece of sanded paper that grabs the vibrant dry pigments, allowing me to create patterns of intense and sometimes quiet color. Like handwriting, I want the viewer to "read" my artwork. 

Where did you study art?

My academic focus has always been the development of creativity in adults and children. I earned a master's degree at Antioch University, OH and designed programs in the expressive arts for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

A career directing the inaugural communications plan for a performing arts center in Naples, FL included marketing four art galleries, a resident orchestra, and mainstage entertainment. I studied the language of pastel with Cheri Dunnigan, a signature member of Pastel Society of America at The Art League of Bonita Springs, FL and several master pastelists. I am studying painting at the Kline Academy of Fine Art in Los Angeles, CA. Founder and painter, Cheryl Kline, challenges emerging artists to be storytellers. " Own your art," prompts Cheryl. "What is the story? What do you want to say to the viewer?"

What is your proudest accomplishment? 

The miniature painting, "Deep Calling", was one of 93 paintings accepted in the Southeastern Pastel Society 2018 International Pastel Exhibition displayed in the Oglethorpe Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA. Juror of entries was Dawn Emerson, signature member of Pastel Society of America. The 6 x 6" painting is one of several tree paintings in a private collection in North Carolina.

When you are not creating art, what else do you enjoy doing?

Art is my life, but I also am a gardener. I plant many of the flowers which I paint. My home studio overlooks a garden of color. I cultivate 13 rose bushes, three shades of hydrangea, Dutch and Japanese irises, a rich Cabernet- color peony, and winter pansies which happily bloom during the season when other flowers are dormant. In 2020 I planted a Carolina Red Bud tree; I anticipate Spring watching it bloom in my breakfast window.

Do you give back to the arts community? How and where?

I am a juried member of the Appalachian Pastel Society and past chair of Non-Juried Member Exhibitions. I volunteered as the resident patio gardener at 310 Art, a gallery in historic Asheville. Volunteer work is fulfilling. I've always felt a responsibility to give back to my home arts community.

Where can collectors find your work? 

BlackBird Frame & Art, Asheville, NC; my home studio in North Carolina; and at anneallenart.com.