Collection: Artist: Ann Watcher

Life in Color

Creating a visual experience is my inspiration for painting. I do not like to classify myself as a painter of nature or of people, but rather, a painter of color and expression. It is not only subject matter that intrigues me but the play of shapes and colors and light against one another whether an old house or a velvet hat. When painting flowers, I enjoy exploring texture, value and movement across the canvas, trying to share my passion for flowers -- not only for what they look like but also for how they make you feel. When painting figures, I try to capture the individuality of the subject I am painting and explore the push and pull of the figure as it relates to the environment. I strive to put modern touches of different colors around the canvas to express what I feel and see.

Composition on the canvas is just as interesting to me as depicting subject matter. An active composition can reach out to a viewer just as much as subject matter. Often I will blend elements of realism and abstraction to create a dynamic composition. I will often look for areas in which I can use geometric touches, like a pattern of shadows beneath the eaves of an old barn or the ovals and triangles that when painted just right, give the impression of a boat or a sail.

Two of my floral paintings were selected to appear in season three of the Showtime series, "Homeland" and another floral was featured in a commercial for the Levine Cancer Center in Charlotte. Duke University Medical Pavilion and Elon University have commissioned Ann's art.

Ann is very honored to have had two paintings selected by the Honorable William V. Roebuck, U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain to be on display in the residence of the Ambassador through Arts in Embassies, a division of the U.S. Dept. of State. Ann also traveled to Bahrain to teach workshops and attend a reception at the Ambassador's residence and an art show at Mashq Gallery.