Why does Ann Rea paint vineyards?
"Pomelo" Sauvignon Blanc
Why does Ann Rea paint vineyards?
Well, I’m really not painting vineyards. My subject is color. It’s an active meditation focusing on color, color inspired by natural ambient light. Vineyards are simply the object of my artistic attention. I also like the vineyard landscape because of the linear architectural elements in this environment. The man made straight lines punctuate nature and heighten the diminishing perspective.
Do you feel like you’ve just left an art critique?
Let’s be real. I’m also targeting an enthusiastic and wine loving demographic, a collecting and passionate personality type. And winemakers are fun to be around. Many are kindred spirits passionately pursuing excellence in a seemingly impractical endeavor. But an artist has to create.
I also like to be outside, it makes me happy. I get to connect with nature’s seasonal cycles and I find this grounding, peaceful, and centering. And what’s even better is when I ask my collectors how my paintings make them feel, the universal response is that my paintings make them feel happy and peaceful. That is my second reward.
When it’s raining and I can’t go outside to paint, I turn my attention on contemporary still life. In fact the first wine label that I designed features a contemporary still life of three pomelos, a hybrid of the grapefruit, often placed as an offering at Asian alters. I’ve also completed an extensive series of small pastels on black sandpaper of San Francisco at night, also featured on a wine label that I designed. No, I’m not licensing my images for any more wine labels, but I’ll save that story for another post.
Tags: Ann Rea's still life, Pomelo, vineyard art, wine label art