Annie J. Schultz
"In the Blue Ridge Mountains where I live, beauty is all around us. I was a potter working with clay on a wheel for many years. When you throw the clay on the wheel and press in and down on it, there is a point eventually when the clay on the wheel stops wobbling and is completely centered. It feels like the universe is aligned and you can take a deep breath and say “yes!”. All is in synch for that moment.
When I complete a painting, walk away and come back into the studio and feel that “yes”, I have that same feeling of being in synch with the subject of my painting. I love setting challenges for myself. Developing a new way of seeing and representing the world around me in two dimensions has been a wonderful and difficult challenge. I am intrigued by the properties of light and atmosphere and how they affect the colors and shapes of the objects we look at every day. I am exploring color and how to use color to build form rather than drawing form and then coloring within the lines. I hope to keep learning new ways to use color, light and shadow to translate the emotional connection I have with nature.
I want my paintings to elicit that feeling of peace and calm that brings a small smile to your face and makes you want to just climb into that scene and appreciate the feeling for that moment. I love sharing that connection with the people who see my paintings."