About Ann
A 30-year resident of Southern California, Ann’s art is informed by the temperate climate and abundant sunshine of the region. There are always flowers in bloom and light bouncing off the ocean. She is an award winning impressionist painter who works en plein air as well as in her studio. Ann has studied oil painting under Southern California artists Deborah E. Giese, Bernard Fallon, Curtis Green, and Tom Balderas, and in Aix-en-Provence, France with Jill Steenhuis. She is a member of the Palos Verdes Art Center and The Artist Studio of Palos Verdes. Her work can be seen at the Artist Studio Gallery in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA as well as in various local shows and exhibits, and in private homes across the country.
When she is not at home in Southern California, her favorite places to paint are Wellfleet, MA and Provence, France.
Artist Statement
I paint my impression of the simple beauty that surrounds me and brings me joy. In plein air or in the studio, I engage all of my senses to create. What I see, hear, feel, smell and touch - it’s all there in the painting. Whether it’s a quiet landscape in a harmonious palette or a big vase of flowers in riotous hues, I wish to offer an artistic antidote to our chaotic world. In the midst of the ugliness, I always choose beauty as my subject matter.
Painting, for me, is an act of gratitude and an expression of joy. My heart sings at the sight of a flower, so complex and so simple at the same time. Always just as it should be, always beautiful. A quiet landscape, a sturdy tree, a slowly evolving sunrise or sunset - they all speak to me, and each evokes a memory, a story, or a sensation that I want to share. It’s a way for me to connect through my art. My process begins with a single mark on a blank surface, and then the story begins to unfold. Using thick paint and loose, untethered strokes, I give myself to the process, painting quickly and allowing instinct and spontaneity to merge. Looking for shapes, color and light, I move around the surface creating balance and harmony until the painting emerges, finished yet still an impression. As I have surrendered to the process, I hope the viewer will surrender to the feeling or memory that my painting calls forth.