Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Sorenson.
Anne, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Ever since I was a little kid, I loved being out in nature. I’ve had friends tease me because I don’t get references from TV shows that they all watched when we were kids…and I’d always say that I was outside playing instead of watching TV. So, when I started turning seriously to art as an adult, nature was my first source of inspiration.
For many years, I made art only as a hobby. Mostly floral black and white drawings, it was just something to keep me busy. But in this last year, I’ve opened an Etsy store and began to take my art more seriously. It was an immediate jump-start to my creative process. Working in a more professional context was the motivation I needed to practice and improve. On top of creating floral line drawings, some paintings, and block prints, I also got an iPad and began working on digital illustrations.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My current main project, feminine figures in nature, is a way for me to explore the multi-faceted experience of human emotion in tandem with natural settings. Using Adobe Illustrator Draw allows me to do more than I could with a pen and pencil and I try to take advantage of that in my feminine figure drawings. Each drawing starts from a different place. Sometimes I’m inspired by a specific plant, sometimes by a specific female model or image. I can’t conjure a nuanced emotion or woman from nothing, so I use quality art stock photographs for inspiration. I draw everything from reference images or from life, so I sometimes think of my art as illustrative collage. I match an emotion, woman, and plant instinctually because I want it to feel natural and not like a forced metaphor. What’s truly interesting to me is to try and communicate how complicated and emotional humans are. People are often seen as one-dimensional and it’s important to me that we remember everyone expresses and feels an endless number of emotions in unique ways.
That’s not to say that my simple floral or botanical illustrations, paintings, and prints are any less meaningful or important to me. I’ve always found peace in a connection with nature and that’s something I try to communicate through my work. Nature on its own is beautiful and does not need to be enhanced. Whether that applied to a female figure or a flower, I try to show the truth of what they are. Now I’m working on art that I truly love and am constantly finding new inspiration all around me! I can’t wait to see what inspires me next!
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I am still figuring out myself how to deal with balancing artistic and financial concerns. This is a new path for me and although I’m excited about it, it is by no means a way that I can currently support myself. I have so much going on in my life at the moment, that sometimes it’s a wonder I manage to create at all! I’m in graduate school, working part time, and applying to jobs for post-graduation. Right now, my artistic path is a part-time endeavor, and may stay that way for quite some time. But that’s not to say it’s any less of an important part of my life! My advice is to just make sure you keep an active artistic mind, even if it’s only for a few hours a week in between a full-time job.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I post all of my work (ongoing and finished) on my Instagram, @annelill_ (don’t forget the underscore!). And my art can be purchased from my Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnneLillArt). On top of all the prints and paintings available, I accept custom work requests through my Etsy store. Anyone with a larger commission idea can contact me through Instagram either with a DM or through the contact button on my page. Whether you want to buy a print or commission a specific work, or simply spread the word about me, all support is welcome!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnneLillArt
- Email: annesorenson3@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annelill_/?hl=en
Image Credit:
Anne Sorenson
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