Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Pham
Anna, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Anna Joy Pham and I am an artist from Fort Worth, Texas. I primarily focus on painting and illustration. I have my BFA in Visual Communications from the University of Texas at Arlington and spent 8 years in the graphic design industry before leaving to become an artist and high school art teacher. My work would be described as whimsical, poetic, and colorful. My goal in creating my art pieces is to be vulnerable, to find the beauty in the pain, and to share with the viewer that they are not alone in their experiences.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an artist has it’s ups and downs. I’ve had my hand in a lot of different creative fields growing up: writing, playing music, sewing, graphic design and then painting and illustrating. It’s been a 20 year journey of pursuing different mediums I most felt passionate about and that I would be able to use to tell my story. Each creative field would last for several years and then a new way of making art would come into my life that would suit me better for the season I would be in. Some years the work would be praised and in high demand and other years, the work would be overlooked and lose it’s fire. Art is very personal and your heart and soul are on the line every time you create and then share your work. However, every creative person I know knows that there is no way around this. If you were meant to create, you will create no matter what.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a painter, illustrator and an educator. For my paintings, I use acrylic paints and have recently started incorporating other materials to create a mixed media art piece. Most people know me for my paintings. My paintings are very colorful, whimsical, and poetic. They are dream-like with a lot of different details so that your eye can travel around the canvas, taking in everything. All of my paintings tell a story about my own personal experiences. In the last two years, I have been painting to tell about my story of grief and sorrow after ending my marriage and also losing my father. I have turned to art to help me express my emotions as I journeyed through those experiences. I depict a lot of scenes of a woman crying but her tears are nourishing the soil she stands on so that she can continue to grow and bloom. I am most proud of these paintings because so many people have come up to me to tell me how much they relate to what I am going through and they recognize they are not alone. I have made many new friends because of the vulnerability of sharing my story. I also like to incorporate the use of writing/poetry into my work. Since my background is in graphic design, using letters as part of the art feels second nature.
For my illustrations, I create them digitally on my iPad. Most of my illustrations are hand-lettered quotes/phrases that I hope resonates with the audience.
And then I am also an educator. I teach high school art at Trimble Tech High School in Fort Worth and I have led workshops for The Amon Carter Museum of American Art and The Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite book I’ve read this year is “All About Love” by Bell Hooks. It has helped me in my personal life which seeps into my art life. My current favorite podcasts are “Claim Your Power”, “Poetry Unbound”, and “We’re Here to Help”. My favorite poet is Mary Oliver and I recommend any of her books. For music, I love to put on a Spotify Jazz playlist. Any of them are great and always transports me to a little cafe or bookshop in NY.
Pricing:
- $200-$2000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annajoypham.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annajoyjoyyy
Image Credits
Dontrius Williams
