Abstract figurative painter Ane Howard talks about her art

Ane Howard is a self-taught painter who describes her style as a "Abstract Figurative Expressionist painter." Using deconstructed form born out of the expressionist movement, bold paint brush and contrasting hues of colors, she aims to imbue each brushstroke with meaning to evoke moods, emotions, and ideas. We have conducted an interview with Ane about her art.

As part of your oil paintings collection 'The Diver Collection', how unique is your process, your style and the choice of the medium on creating the movement, pose, colors of the body, sky, and water?

To paint with oil is to slow down and appreciate what has come before us and take the time to what may appear ahead of us. The Masters used oil and it's been around for thousands of years. That's partly the appeal to me, and so is it's buttery consistency and texture. I like that oil painting has such a long history in the story of humanity and that it moves much slower than the rest of the modern world and as a medium, allows for reflection, unlike for example acrylic. Acrylic is harsh and fast, it's plastic. The pause in oil painting is what appeals to me. When I paint one of my diver I think about she must be feeling at that stage of the dive. I also look at timelessness. My figures don't look like 2019 models, the proportions are elongated or muscular or strangely positioned and sometimes they look more like fruits than women. I use colors and geometry to express the mood and to make the viewer look at them in ways that we may not have looked at before. Traditional standards of beauty are of no interest to me.

Of all the art in this Diver Collection, which piece is your personal favorite?

"Meet Me by the Pool. Wear Pink." She's intriguing to me. What is she looking at? What is your arm reaching for? Her body is shaped like a bowl of fruits. She's enigmatic.

When and where will you have the art opening?

Friday, September 6, from 4 to 8 at Tivoli Decor, 333b Caladenia, Sausalito, California, 94965

What will be the highlights of this event?

The unveiling of The Diver Collection and eight new paintings never shown in public before. All paintings will be for sale and so will be signed by me Giclee prints of the artwork.

What is your view about creativity vs innovation as an artist?

Creativity is about using your imagination to implement something that others haven't seen or done before, and the implementation of it is the innovation. An artist cannot have one without the other.

"Anyone can learn to be creative with some effort and time." What do you recommend as the beginning efforts to make, for someone "to learn to be creative"?

Funny you asked since I've written a blog post entitled Eight Ways To Get Your Creative Juice Flowing with tips just two weeks ago. Start with letting your curiosity take over and unclutter your space.

More info:

Website: https://www.anehoward.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AneHowardArtGallery
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anehoward
Twitter: https://twitter.com/anerush