Anna Clarke

Whether I’m trying to capture the rugged scenery of the countryside in Bulgaria, where I grew up overlooking a mountainous landscape, or the gentle rolling hills of Surrey, where I live now, the natural world is my absolute favourite subject. I love reflecting the colours of the seasons. Capturing the changing light and colours of the turning seasons and representing the natural world in an abstract form is both a challenge and a pleasure. From autumnal whirls of reds and oranges to austere whites and greys of winter, I try to capture the essence of the landscape whilst leaving something to the viewer's imagination. I paint mainly from my imagination because I love the freedom of evocation and intuition. This often results in a wide variety of expressive artwork – from florals and semi-abstract landscapes to cosmic and pure abstract work. I love using lots of different products which means that I am constantly experimenting with them and consequently I work in a large range of media, ranging from oil, charcoal and acrylics to handmade felt and mixed media. I don’t have a particular favourite. It just depends on how I am feeling when I decide to start on a new piece of work.  I like my work to bring happiness for me and the people who view it. We live in very troubled times with so many social, political and economic issues. So, whilst I tend to steer away from the political or social issues, I hope that my work will bring joy and wellbeing to the viewer. I have been exhibiting my work in local and online galleries as well as in numerous art fairs and events in and around Surrey. This has resulted in some really great feedback; many, many happy customers and, fortunately for me, now includes numerous commissions for people and businesses from all around the world. My felted work has been such a success that I now also run felting workshops, some of which will be as a part of the Surrey Artists Open Studios (SAOS) next June. You can view my work on my website www.annaclarke.art or meet me at my shows and exhibitions listed on the website events page, or at my studio in Bookham (by appointment only).