Anne Winstanley Wood

Inspired by the Surrey Hills and Yorkshire Dales, Anne creates joyful, semi-abstract landscapes which possess a playful, imaginary quality and are characterised by layers of gorgeous colours and expressive mark making whilst exploring the human narrative of man’s relationship with nature through visual storytelling. Initial sketches and photos made outdoors gradually evolve into more abstracted compositions back in the studio to depict Anne’s distinctive style. Starting with bold, creative brush marks and using a variety of tools and techniques her creative process consists of gradually building up layers and layers of acrylic paint, glazes, collage and ink, constantly playing with drips, dabs, washes and scratches. Out of this practice stylised trees, houses, walls and hills gradually emerge to form her uplifting, lyrical landscapes full of movement. Her very recent pieces include the music of Surrey Hills composer, Vaughn Williams and the poems of Yorkshire poets Anne Brontë and Ted Hughes who all used their art form as a response to the landscape which captured their imagination. Anne grew up in a northern mill town with the moors and stone walls of the Dales, Brontë Country and Pendle Hill right on her doorstep and her natural desire to place some sort of man-made structure in her landscapes stems from those early years where mill chimneys, slate roofs and ‘dark satanic mills’ nestled perfectly among the wild hills. As houses, barns and dry stone walls emerge from the colours, shapes and textures in her paintings, Anne is able to connect her life here in Surrey with her own northern roots and heritage. Anne graduated in Fine Art in 1984 at the University of Reading and pursued a career in music education, completing an MEd in Creative Arts at the University of Exeter. Her work has been exhibited and commissioned by collectors in the UK and USA. Anne exhibits in locally including High Clandon, AppArt, Guildford Institute, Horsham Museum, The Frame Shed in Ripley and recently at The Lightbox Art Gallery, Woking. Anne is a member of Ginger Cactus Art and Exhibition Organiser of Leatherhead Art Club.