Artful Optimist: Meet Artist Annie Brown
Meet Annie Brown, an LA-based artist who gives the mundane a major makeover. Through watercolors, charcoals, and colored pencils, Annie has a talent for transforming everyday objects, places, and creatures into captivating works of art. And she does it all with a smile — because for Annie, her purpose as an artist is to make the world brighter.
Daily Whimsy
Hailing from a family of makers (her mom's an upholstery pro, her dad's a woodworker, and her brother's a filmmaker), Annie has been drawing and painting since childhood. Most of her work involves watercolors. Three examples are "A Spot in the Shade" (featured above), "Boston," and "The Coffee Date Collection," (both below). She created "Portrait of Parker" (below) in charcoal, but pet portrait clients can also choose watercolor or colored pencil.
Enter Frame Destination
Inspired by a photo from a dear friend’s baby shower, Annie created one of her first large-scale paintings, “A Spot in the Shade.” She showcases this piece in a custom 16"x19.25" Narrow Wood Frame 502A, featuring a natural wood finish. The sleek profile, available in six colors, evokes a gallery-style aesthetic that perfectly complements her contemporary, realistic artwork. Another favorite of hers is our versatile Wood Frame 502B in classic black and white options.
“The quality has been consistently great,” Annie says regarding her experience with Frame Destination frames. When working with clients on commission, she finds the ability to create digital mockups of their framed art incredibly valuable. Annie appreciates the framing guidelines included in each kit, emphasizing that, “as someone who is by no means a framing professional,” these resources are “super helpful.”
See More of Annie’s Work
Visit ByAnnieB.com to discover the full scope of her creative outlets, from DIY watercolor greeting cards to playful stickers (butterflies and disco balls, anyone?). Annie’s vibrant Instagram offers a window into her process, including a recent project benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank. During last year’s “Colortober” October daily art challenge, she transformed the hues of her life into mini artworks. And if you wonder who spilled the wisdom that this self-described optimist lives by, explore our Q&A below.
Now for Artie’s Eight Q&A with Annie Brown…
1. What is your background; how did you get started?
Thanks to my parents, I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. We have a creative family: my mom is an upholsterer and Master Gardener who sewed and embroidered all my baby clothes, my dad is an incredible woodworker, my brother is a filmmaker and animator, and everybody paints! As an artistically inclined family, we spent 10+ years living as expats in Belgium, hopping in the car to explore different cities (and their art museums) every chance we could. The easy access to incredible art and architecture was a constant inspiration.
2. What role do you think the artist plays in society?
We all tend to live our lives on autopilot, going from home to work to our obligations and back again. Very often, during that process, we skim over important moments and unexpected beauty and move on to whatever is next. As an artist, my role is to give a spotlight to these moments, to let them be seen, contemplated, or admired so that we might appreciate their importance more. There is so much in our everyday lives that is worth observing and celebrating (even the painful parts) and giving them a permanent space in the world through art can make even the ordinarily mundane feel extraordinary.
3. What has been a formative experience or the best advice you’ve received within your career?
A painting professor I had in college once said that making art is all about observation. Regardless of what style of work someone makes, the best artists are good observers. It has stuck with me ever since and has evolved over the years as I think about observation not only in its most literal sense (what do objects look like and how do I draw that) but also how I observe and perceive colors, light, feelings, etc. Using observation in all its forms helps advance my art as well as my perception of and appreciation for the world around me.
4. In what ways does your work reflect your personality?
I’m an optimist at heart, and I think that comes through in my work. I make art of everyday objects, places, and creatures in a realistic style partly because I believe that my subjects don’t have to be transformed to be worthy of admiration. Even when the world is at its worst, and my art is a means of catharsis rather than celebration, I still make it with the belief that observing this feeling or moment will result in something better.
5. Creative blocks, do you get them? If so, how do you overcome them?
Yes! I definitely get them. I’m lucky to have commission work I can focus on when my personal artwork is creatively blocked. When working on commissions, I have a predetermined reference photo and a singular goal of executing it to the best of my ability. I continue to paint, and often, through working on a piece for someone else, I can get re-inspired to return to my personal art with fresh ideas and approaches.
6. What is your most indispensable tool? (Not counting the obvious, like paints, brushes, canvas, camera, etc.)
I have two. My planner, a handwritten schedule that organizes my projects (and my life), and a Tombow Mono Sand Eraser, which has saved many a painting from stray droplets!
7. Do you have a new project you are working on, or a new passionate idea?
Recently, I was awarded a grant by the Culver City Arts Foundation for my project, Sharing a Meal. I will create a series of artworks featuring a dish from a local, independent restaurant in my neighborhood of Culver City, California. The series will be turned into a postcard set that will help promote the restaurants at no cost to them, with a portion of the proceeds going to the LA Regional Food Bank. I’m excited about creating the art, but I’m also excited about the benefits of making art accessible to a new audience and becoming more involved in my community.
8. What is your favorite color to incorporate into your art?
My two favorite colors (because I can't pick just one) are Holbein’s Opera Pink and Daniel Smith’s Quinacridone Sienna. They are fantastic on their own, but they also make the most electric, vibrant mixes.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE SPOTLIGHT? Simply respond to the questionnaire here to apply to be included in an upcoming Artie’s Eight Spotlight.
Last Updated August 27, 2024