Ann Winship:
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I am a plein air painter who moved to Kerikeri from Northern California in 2011. I studied art at Santa Rosa College with noted artists Alan Alzarian, Lisa Bernsten and Marsha McConnell. I have received awards at the Sonoma and Marin County Fairs for abstract and landscape works I enjoy painting landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes on location in oil, acrylics, watercolour or pastels. |
Unlike painting from a snapshot, plein air painting allows me to immerse myself in the experience of the location as it changes through the day. Typically I visit a location 2 or 3 times to catch the interplay of light and shadow on the subject. I take a few photos for the finishing touches which I do back in my studio. Most paintings require 2 to 3 layers of paint to develop color, textures and details. I love painting water, clouds, light and shadows. I try to create a simple, serene, balanced compositions that will give the viewer an opportunity to enjoy the beauty and power of nature.
In 2010, I spent a summer painting in the Provence Region of France. Sidewalk cafes became a favorite subject with their colorful facades, the inviting shade of umbrellas, comfortable conversations over coffee, and the rhythm of café life. In New Zealand I have painted Café Zest in Kerikeri and The Trainspotter Café in Kawakawa, inspired by Hundertwasser, among others.
My work is influenced by many artists: Cezanne, Monet, and Van Gogh for their vibrant palettes, painterly brush work, and compositions that slip away from realism while celebrating daily life to construct new understandings of light, space and shape. Favorite subjects include cafés, watery abstracts, and local sites. I also enjoy drawing in dry pastels and painting with watercolours for a more portable plein air jaunt.
My latest artistic passion is creating copper wire sculptures, inspired by Ruth Asawa, a San Franciscan artist who was my neighbor when I was a child. These hanging, flowing forms cast dramatic shadows and I call them spirit vessels. They channel the life force, its beauty, its flow, and its spiritual power. They create dynamic, changing shadows as they interact with light.
In 2010, I spent a summer painting in the Provence Region of France. Sidewalk cafes became a favorite subject with their colorful facades, the inviting shade of umbrellas, comfortable conversations over coffee, and the rhythm of café life. In New Zealand I have painted Café Zest in Kerikeri and The Trainspotter Café in Kawakawa, inspired by Hundertwasser, among others.
My work is influenced by many artists: Cezanne, Monet, and Van Gogh for their vibrant palettes, painterly brush work, and compositions that slip away from realism while celebrating daily life to construct new understandings of light, space and shape. Favorite subjects include cafés, watery abstracts, and local sites. I also enjoy drawing in dry pastels and painting with watercolours for a more portable plein air jaunt.
My latest artistic passion is creating copper wire sculptures, inspired by Ruth Asawa, a San Franciscan artist who was my neighbor when I was a child. These hanging, flowing forms cast dramatic shadows and I call them spirit vessels. They channel the life force, its beauty, its flow, and its spiritual power. They create dynamic, changing shadows as they interact with light.
