I am a nature lover, a meadow wanderer, an adorer of trees. I like to think that I am an environmentalist. I primarily paint nature because I am inspired by its beauty and because I want to remind my audience how lovely, fragile and vital it is. It has become a mission to me. In my loftier fantasies, I like to think that I am a defender of the natural world. I want to help light a spark in the minds of people who see nature as something to be cherished and protected. My hope is that my art will touch some small ember of proactive responsibility in others to help spread the idea of how crucial the environment is to our existence.

I like to think of myself as an expressionist painter. I am not interested in painting a realistic nature scene. Most of my paintings revolve around a metaphor. Sometimes I like to give an inanimate object the qualities of humans (anthropomorphism). An example is the painting, Red Ladder at Night, below.

Red Ladder at Night, 16×20, acrylic on canvas, ©2009, Ann Hart Marquis, SOLD

Some of my work has been considered surreal, such as Waiting for the Lion, below.

Waiting for the Lion, 20×24, acrylic on canvas, ©2010, Ann Hart Matquis, SOLD

I am not as interested in what my style is called as I am in what kind of impact my art makes. I want people to recognize the value of the natural world as much as I do.

Given the above description of my painting interests, it has been difficult to come up with a description of myself for my artist statement, my SEOs, my precise, quick spiel about “What kind of art do you do”? I am still revising my response to that question. It is all about what’s in a name.
Anyone else ever have that problem?