One of my early paintings from childhood. Circa 1995. I entered this in a "Reflections" art contest for school in 3rd grade. Titled "The Lookout" here's what I wrote as a child: "Sometimes kitties have to 'lookout' from inside to the outside world. My kitty is lucky. He sees the outside world from outside! At the 'lookout.'" At this age, I had my own 'lookout' point at home, that looked over hills and valleys. One of my favorite hidden spots among the trees of our property. My experiences with nature have always influenced my artwork.
I spent the first 18 years of my life in Southern California, near the beach. The ocean was beautiful and I enjoyed being on the beach a lot. The colorful plants, flowers, cliffs, and sunsets on the shore inspired me. These were often the subjects of my childhood paintings. The landscape of Southern California—and most of California, when not covered in houses—is beautiful. I miss it.
I have had an attachment to nature my whole life. Playing outdoors with the leaves, twigs, mud, bushes, and trees--that was the kind of kid I was and the childhood I had. I loved road trips and observing the changing scenery. I loved hiking and connecting with nature. I loved, and still love, the energy I felt when I am among nature.
I grew up the middle child with four sisters, Mom, Dad, and pets.
Creating art and crafts along-side my creative and artistic mother was a staple of my childhood. We did just about every medium you could imagine. I especially loved creating with her as a child because it was fun making things and learning from her.
My father builds houses for a living. He is very handy and creative when it comes to fixing things and solving problems. I attribute my hard work, preciseness, building, and tool handling to him (and his parents). I’ll never forget the time he let my sister and I have extra pieces of wood from a job site so we could make a chair to sit on outside. Our chair was nothing more than three pieces of wood and a few nails—it wasn't sturdy at all and only lasted a little while—because 9-year-old me and 8-year-old sister were building it. But it was a great memory I have of learning independence, creativity, and resourcefulness. Today, I build my own panels to paint on and I love that building and woodworking is part of my creative process as it has been part of my father’s own career.
My family members have always supported me in making art; buying supplies, hanging my work in their homes, and taking me to shows and museums in Los Angeles as a child. I am ever grateful for their continual support.
This is my beginnings; inspired by nature, supported by family, and fueled by some genetics, but mostly a desire to create meaningful work that explored the natural world we live in. Creating art flows naturally from my head, hands, and heart. This is one of my life callings, and I am ever grateful for the opportunity to create art that shares my perspective and love of nature.
Peace,
Annastasha