Conversations with Anne Pell Harkness

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Pell Harkness. She shares her story with us below:

Harkness grew up surrounded by artists. Her mother was a painter; her grandmother, was a sculptor, and painter; her dad, was an aspiring architect; one brother is an architect and a photographer, and her other brother is a builder, sculptor, and painter. Her grandfather traveled the world buying failing newspapers, turning them around, and then selling them, while his wife, Anne’s grandmother, painted, sculpted, and collected art.

Thus, Harkness grew up in a home filled with paintings and lithographs by Pablo Picasso, Vlaminck, Utrillo, Renoir, Toulouse Lautrec, Andrew Wyeth, and present-day painters from around the world, such as Asoma, Jaguar, and many Japanese and French painters.

A native of NC, Anne Harkness is an alumnus of the Atlanta College of Art and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from The Maryland Institute, College of Art. Her work as an art director in NYC for 15 years has embodied her work with a graphic element that astute viewers can detect in her paintings. For five years, Harkness studied painting under and worked for Curt Butler, a renowned oil painter. As a contemporary artist, Anne seeks to capture a distinct point of view, often finding some unexpected beauty in locations or views others would easily dismiss as ordinary.

Working from her love of subject matter with a strong design element, Harkness also focuses on the importance of line in her work. Anne credits her emphasis on these particular components to her love of drawing and a desire to retain the marks her tools make with the paint. Anne also looks for the surprises that come from spending time in a painting. These discoveries are her treasures and assure that she is always learning and seeking the ‘new-fresh’ for her work.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Eventually, after a few failed career attempts, and other low spots, Harkness felt she was at the bottom of her barrel. Her mother continued to urge her to paint, so when her husband suggested she and her brother take an oil painting class, she agreed. While her brother quickly realized he preferred watercolors, Anne had the opposite response.

She became so filled with the joys of oil painting that she simply couldn’t contain it. Her husband reflected, “All that came before was preparation for this.”

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My passions lay in painting subjects with a strong graphic presence. I focus on town/city scenes, telephone poles, and chairs as my subject matter. I start with my photographs, then make line drawings of them. These drawings help me get to know the subject better and allow me to design/alter the photograph as I desire. Then, I make a color study and if I still like it, I then start a large canvas.

The color study and the line drawings serve as a map as to how to start the painting. I use lines to sketch the image and I keep the lines in the painting throughout. As progress is made on the larger canvas, the painting will start to choose its own path. Yes, the painting will tell me what it wants to become and when it’s done. I believe what sets me apart is the strong presents of lines and a unique viewpoint in my paintings.

We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is when I feel good about a completed painting. When I have done my best and the painting has some sort of surprise, extravagant beauty, or unique expression, that causes the viewer, myself included, to keep looking at the painting. I like the colors to travel through the painting leading the viewer all around the piece, enjoying the marks, the colors, and the shapes.

Contact Info:

• Email: annepharkness@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.anneharkness.com/
• Instagram: @annephark
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annepharkness?ref=tn_tnmn
• TikTok: @AnnepHarkness