Anna Mikhaela Reyes
Anna Mikhaela Reyes is a contemporary conceptual artist based in Denton, Texas. After receiving her BFA in Drawing and Painting from Kennesaw State University, Anna focused her practice on using charcoal, watercolor, chalk pastel, and colored pencil to elevate the romanticism of botany and the human figure. Her work has been exhibited and awarded in various galleries in Denton County, notably at the Greater Denton Arts Council and the Lewisville Grand Theater, where she is an active member of the Visual Art League of Lewisville. More recently, her work garnered the New Futures Award for Fall 2023, leading to her exhibition at The Other Art Fair Dallas (October 2023), sponsored by Saatchi Art.
Artist Statement
I am inspired by nature, the human figure, and the human condition. My work explores themes in psychology (trauma, abuse, and mental health), the flux of personal vulnerabilities, and the elusiveness of interpersonal connection. Common to my work are obscure symbolism and the intertwining elements of romance and melancholy—an acceptance that the most beautiful things in life are often bittersweet. As a pensive person, the goal of my work is to share my concepts and draw moments of connection with those who empathize with them.
What is your first memory creating?
Although I've been drawing my whole life, I feel that I have only started creating in the past two years. My very first original piece was Connection, which communicated my passion and desire for synchronicity and the creation of genuine bonds through art. In the past, I was simply drawing technically and regurgitating imagery that had no representation of personal depth. Creating Connection opened a door to vulnerability and authenticity that drove me to finally generate work that communicates my own unique stories, ideas, and concepts.
What is your relationship to your medium? What draws you to it?
I love the straightforwardness of charcoal. I enjoy the ease of pushing it around on my canvas of choice and its ability to communicate the personality, thoughts, and feelings of its user based on its marksmanship. I like surprising my audience when revealing that it is my primary medium; I love depicting its flexibility by showing that it can be used to create delicate and romantic imagery. My use of colored pencils satisfies the detail-oriented qualities in me. I love its nod to precision and nuance as it allows me to bring my pieces to life through fine-tuned details and subtle transitions in color.
What is the main thing you hope your audience takes away from your art?
I hope that my work allows others to feel understood. Because my pieces touch on themes of mental health, trauma, psychology, and intrapersonal exploration, I aim to foster an environment of compassion and togetherness. My ambition is to encourage sharing and conversations that allow people to feel safe in vulnerability and authenticity.
Tell us about a challenge you overcame last year.
Being diagnosed with depression was as unsettling as it was unsurprising. My diagnosis explained and confirmed the symptoms I had experienced throughout my childhood and brought the realization that they were negatively affecting my current relationships and day-to-day functioning. Looking back on my dysfunctional childhood and becoming aware of its effects on my cognition and behavior drove me to seek an official diagnosis and an accompanying prescription for an antidepressant. Prior to this, I had resorted to holistic methods, as I was extremely wary of taking prescribed medications. It was when I started to feel like I was using a band-aid to treat a deep, subcutaneous wound that I sought medical and professional help.
What is your main goal or resolution this year in terms of your art practice?
This year, my intention is to lead my practice with bravery and honesty. I seek to address themes and concepts that may not be agreeable to all but are a genuine representation of my thoughts, values, and feelings. My childhood had cultivated a people-pleaser in me, one who was afraid to voice opinions and set personal boundaries to preserve a fragile, and rather false, sense of harmony. I seek to dismantle that fearfully compliant part of me to truly embrace the values of authenticity and vulnerability in my work.
