DEATH and the MAIDENWelcome, Anne and her wonderful art!
I happened across Anne's Etsy shop one day when I was looking around at all the different artists out on Etsy. Her drawing called "FAERIE with SNOWSHOE RABBIT" caught my eye! Since I love faeries and rabbits, I had to stop in her shop and check out her other wonderful works of art. Her "DEATH and the MAIDEN" (Anne's favorite piece) is wonderful!
Read below to hear in Anne's own words as she tells us about herself and her work!
My name is Anne El-Habre and I was born in Maine. I attended the Savannah College of Art and Design waaay back in 1989 and got a Degree in Graphic Arts. Although I liked it then, the computer has taken much of the Art out of it, so I returned to drawing and painting shortly after graduating. I am primarily self taught, gouache being one of my favorite mediums, though my strength is drawing. I also have a passion for printmaking. My influences are turn of the Century illustration (Pyle, Wyeth, Booth, Leyendecker) and Victorian and Symbolist painters. Inspiration comes from many sources, namely folklore, mythology, nature, and the human form.
What led you to start creating your art?
I don't know exactly. I think part of my instinct comes from my mother, who is very creative and gifted artistically. And then I think the more astute of my teachers early on in my schooling discovered I was not the most academically inclined child, but obviously loved to draw. To that end, they encouraged my artistic side. And then there were others that said I should apply my classtime to studying and less to drawing. Yeah, like that's gonna happen....!
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
Ummm...I haven't? Though I really am not a painter. I never studied painting or took classes so I am self taught, therefore I struggle with it from time to time. I would rather be printmaking because it's like drawing and I love doing that.
What aspect of creating your art do you find the most enjoyable?
I like getting in the "zone" when time passes and you don't notice it. I also like the randomness of it, how a concept starts out one way and morphs into something completely different once it's done. It can also be somewhat vexing.
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art, what would you choose, and why?
Vegetable, definitely. Earthy and organic - not like fruit, which tend to be symmetrical and pristine, with a high opinion of themselves since they grow up in trees, la de da...well, not strawberries obviously!
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art?
Hmmm...message...no message really. What I do hope people take away from my art is a sense of story - and that they have accessed a bit of their imagination. I appreciate artists of any kind, writers, singers, dancers, who transport through their craft - that is ultimately what I hope my art does.
What advice do you have for other artists?
Don't be snotty. Keep your mind open to all possibilities and realize that all art has a place and a reason for being - one man's art cannot speak to everyone. And never make art to match the sofa.
ANNE....Thanks so much for sharing yourself, and your work. I love your answers to the interview questions. AMEN to "never make art to match the sofa!"
Be sure to visit ANNE'S ETSY SHOP, and other links listed below
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