Artist's Bio

Ann Pickett is an award winning abstract artist based in McLean, Virginia. With a 25-year career in graphic design, Ann began painting abstracts in 2005, and more recently began showing her work. Ann’s work has been juried into exhibits and galleries winning awards locally and nationally, she received the Shayna Heiman Simkin Award in 2015.

Ann is represented by Foundry Gallery and is a member of the Alexandria Art League and Capitol Hill Art League. Ann was recently selected for a solo show at the Torpedo Factory in March of 2019. You can find more of Ann’s work currently on display in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, VA.

Statement

I paint because I love to paint. Working from landscape, figure, or still life, I paint both abstractly and figuratively, often at the same time. When I paint, I think in form, color, and line, and the relations between them guide me. I use acrylics because I paint in the moment, filling up my canvas almost before I know it. Acrylics allow me to capture the sense of movement, the dance between painter and painting. My design background peeks through the layers of my paintings, manifesting itself in grid-like structures and line. I play with weight,  making assertive yet delicate marks, often using graphite and caran d’ache, but at times with other media such as pastels, in my pursuit of a creating a mark that is both interesting and expressive.
Each decision made during the creative process is part of a painting dialogue (back and forth). When the conversation has concluded, the painting is complete.