Studio Visit
Anne Gardner only has to walk out onto her back verandah to find inspiration for her paintings. Surrounded by bush gardens and sprawling lawns, birdlife are welcome residents amongst the flowering gums and Australian natives. Littered with blue snippets is a Bowerbird hideaway .Scattered bird baths provide further sanctuary .I am visiting Anne Gardner in her studio at Tomerong NSW.
Having drawn for most of her life it wasn’t until 1995 that she really began painting .Landscapes have been her preferred subject until her recent appreciation for the abundant birdlife in her own garden.
Most of her work is developed from her photos, watercolor and ink sketches. Her paintings are in acrylic and more recently watercolor. The landscapes are traditional with influences from the Heidelberg school and artists Tom Roberts, Frederick Mc Cubbin and 
Arthur Streeton. More recently she has looked to the work of Blue Mountain artist John Wilson, Graham Gercken, Robyn Collier, New Zealand artists Shirley Cresswell and local Steve Harris.
Anne’s studio is light and spacious. A clever hanging system installed by her husband and large areas of wall space allows her to hang numerous paintings. This is a great advantage especially when planning the hanging of work for an exhibition. A mini studio complete with painting wall and small table allows her to continue painting while her grandchildren paint from her example. She is super organized and has a place for everything.
As a member of the Jervis Bay and Basin Arts Inc. Anne participates regularly in local exhibitions which are often themed. She enjoys these opportunities to stretch her creativity which takes her outside of her comfort zone.
‘A Glimpse here and there’ is her latest exhibition opening March 25th until 26th April 2016 at The Cellar Door, Cupitt’s Winery, Ulladulla. Anne is continually surprised and inspired by the beauty of the flora and fauna of the south coast and this exhibition is her glimpse from her local surrounds. The emphasis is on how light plays on surfaces and landscapes and birds provide the subjects.
Anne is working on new work for a group exhibition launching on May 25th 6-8pm at the Bay and Basin Lodge,Paradise Beach Road Sanctuary Point.
“Bright Sparks” is part of SeeChange of which the theme this year is ‘Illuminate‘
https://anne-gardner.pixels.com/
https://facebook.com/anniesartstudio
http://anne-gardner.artistwebsites.com/