Anna Wilson
Anna Wilson is an artist born and working in London, Ontario. She graduated from Western University in 2018, where she studied visual art and psychology. She worked as an artist in residence at TAP Centre for Creativity, pursuing her interest in drawing architecture and furniture from 2018 to 2022. Wilson had her first solo exhibition in June 2019 and has continued to show art in London, Ontario, as well as Toronto, Montreal, and Nova Scotia. She has received multiple grants, including the Canada Council for the Arts Explore and Create component for 2020, 2021, and 2022, and has also been granted the TAP Emerging Artist Program residency. Wilson works full-time in her studio, where she is currently working on a series of drawings exploring the creation of newly imagined places inspired by local architecture and interiors. Wilson’s intricate drawings explore the intersections of imagined and real space and the evocation of feelings of comfort and familiarity for her viewers. The Colart Collection and Sifton Properties have acquired her works, and Wilson’s drawings were recently featured in issue 24 of Create! Magazine. Wilson’s drawings are in private collections internationally.
Artist Statement
My work as an artist is largely based on drawings of interiors and furniture. I use fineliner pens to manipulate and combine multiple perspectives and buildings, many of which include architecture and interiors I am familiar with. These newly created spaces, referred to as the “between,” are the grey area in architecture located between the interior and exterior, often overlooked when considering the creation of space. As I further delve into my study of the “between” space, I have developed an interest in humanity’s emotions of comfort and familiarity with regard to furniture and architectural space. This concept of creating a physical depiction of the “between” has led to my interest in the portrayal of lived-in spaces that illustrate the abstraction and manipulation of real structural and furniture forms. These drawings, full of lush detail, intend to evoke feelings of familiarity and well-being for each viewer. With my art, I intend to turn once functional architectural perspectives of interiors and furniture into new multilayered fictional spaces of memory and place.
https://www.annawilsonart.ca/
Can you describe the core themes and emotions you explore in your current body of work?
My work as an artist explores the themes of comfort and familiarity within interior spaces. Each of my drawings examines how well-loved furniture, objects, and beloved animals may evoke feelings of comfort and familiarity for each of those who view my work. The lush detail and imagined interiors, inspired by real spaces, appeal to each viewer's memories and sense of nostalgia that is elicited when viewing familiar objects.
How does your creative process unfold from concept to completion?
Despite the larger scale of my fineliner drawings, much of my drawing process relies on a certain level of spontaneity. While I dive into each project with an idea of the general layout, each day in the studio feels as though I'm creating a new work, as I let the drawing take me where it would like to go. The permanence of fineliner pens does not allow for changes, which forces me to work with mistakes and change my plans day-to-day. Often, the resulting drawing is very different from the initial idea.
What inspires you most outside of the visual arts, and how does it influence your work?
Growing up on a farm is a tremendous inspiration to my work. My family home and farmyard are filled with well-loved furniture and adored pets, including cats, dogs, sheep, and chickens. Each of my drawings depicts at least a few pieces of my life on the farm, whether it be my pet sheep, antique furniture, or sunflowers such as those that grow every summer in the fields. I'm constantly gathering inspiration whenever I visit my family and explore the farm.
How do you navigate the balance between personal expression and the commercial aspects of your career?
I'm constantly reminding myself as I draw that my art will be most successful if I stay true to my style and create what I want to create. I find that viewers and collectors connect with the personal aspect of each of my drawings, relating their own lives and memories to my works. It's important to me that I continue to create drawings in my style while communicating to collectors what makes my art special and hopefully worthy of being hung in their homes.
What message or feeling do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your art?
I hope that each viewer who sees my works is able to leave with a sense of comfort and familiarity and can project their own memories of time and place onto each of my drawings. It is my wish that everyone can find something to relate to or remember within my drawings.
