“A flower is relatively small. Everyone has many associations with a flower—the idea of flowers…….Still—in a way nobody sees a flower—really—it is so small—we haven’t time—and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.

“…. So I said to myself—I’ll paint what I see…..I’ll paint it big and they will be surprised into taking the time to look at it. I will make even busy New Yorkers take time to see what I see of flowers.”

---Georgia O’Keeffe 1927 excerpted from Georgia O’Keeffe, Viking Press

I read that statement many years ago and it has been a constant refrain that takes on even more meaning as time passes. To take the time to see, to observe closely, is an act that is becoming more compromised by the increasing allure of screens in our lives. I am certainly not immune to the charms of the visual gratification they can bring, but ultimately the need to pause and closely observe my surroundings is always the stronger instinct that informs my work.

I like to look closely at a subject to reveal its secrets and mysteries. This more intimate examination of the world is where my eye is drawn. I see vast expanses within small views. While sometimes an image seems fairly literal in its depiction, my attempt is to not only describe the rich profusion of textures and linear elements I see, but to honor the energy these growing things inhabit. Entangled with vines, ravaged by storms, assaulted by environmental insults, I find the way growing things often cling to life in the face of difficult challenges both heroic and moving. Nature is truly my muse.

After a long and rewarding career teaching art Ann-Marie has returned to her studio practice winning awards and exhibiting her work in both solo and group exhibitions in numerous galleries and small museums throughout New England and New York. She is a mixed-media artist who uses an innovative hand-painted tape technique along with more traditional drawing, painting and printmaking forms. Recent work with enhanced cyanotypes shows new ways of exploring this print process. She is represented by Francesca Anderson Fine Arts, True Grit Gallery, Studio Hop and belongs to numerous art groups including 19 on Paper, Seekonk Artist Network, Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, Warwick Center for the Arts and the Bristol Art Museum. Recently her work was included in Juniper Rag Vol. 2 and will be included in the upcoming Juniper Rag Vol. 4 arts publication. She is also a member of the Seekonk Arts Cultural Council because of her life-long involvement in the arts.

Instagram @ambogillett

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