OIL PAINTINGSWATERCOLORSPRINTSMURALS & COMMISSIONSCLASSESphone: 352-377-0777ABOUT THE ARTIST |
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OIL PAINTINGSWATERCOLORSPRINTSMURALS & COMMISSIONSCLASSES |
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phone: 352-377-0777 |
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| ABOUT THE ARTIST |
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| Annie Pais has been painting an undiscovered pristine part of North Florida for twenty five years. Her oils, watercolors and photographs reflect her passion for this still-wild natural world, its exotic flowers and oversized water birds. |
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| Her origins however, were quite different. She was born in 1949 in Greenwich, Conn. and spent her early childhood largely in urban situations. “I was fortunate to grow up just outside NYC with two artist parents. We always had a full studio in our house and I frequently accompanied my mother to museums in the city and to paint on location. Art was a very natural part of my early life. I assumed everyone had a studio...like a dining room. |
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At age nine, when my father died very suddenly, I naturally turned to art as my healing process. I spent long hours in the studio, a safe haven for a grieving child. This early experience forever shaped the way I grew as an artist and later, my method for teaching art. The city was great for being exposed to national and international art, for exploring cultures, architecture and meeting people but I seemed to flounder as an artist until I came to Florida. I was driving through North Florida, like most people do, on my way south. It had just rained and the sun was setting. The sky was huge! There was so much drama and such magnificent light! I was overcome and wept. Later, I found my way back to that spot and just settled down. There is a unique energy here. Its hard to verbally describe but you just feel better for being here. Its rejuvenating and inspiring to be so completely connected to the natural world. I just fell in love and have been painting it ever since. I began painting in watercolor. The flowers were amazing. Florida means “feast of flowers” and I painted them in every season. Its no wonder this region has been called “Florida’s Eden” for 200 years. I became known for flower images. Magnolias, camellias, azaleas...The flowers led to still life and later to water birds. Some of the watercolors were reproduced as prints. I’ve recently produced a mural on linen which was installed in a child’s bedroom. The dimensions and 360* wall space produced an entire environment. The family chose a very real ocean-scape in the Bahamas. I’d like to emphasize that murals can be any size and will transform even one wall into an environment. You can view images and learn more at my page on murals. While painting is a central part of my personal life, teaching is the core of my public and professional life. I teach primarily with my partner, William Schaaf. Our classes for children emphasize the role of the creative process in a child’s growth as a whole person. We also use art as a ‘healing agent’, working as associate members of the Gainesville Gestalt Center, with Hospiceand privately. Our methods are unique and different from those taught in traditional public education or in art therapy situations. We are currently writing both an interactive manual for children and a guide for those wishing to use these methods in teaching and counseling. Look for it on this site in 2004. In 2002 with a small handful of other artists, I founded the Artists Alliance of North Florida and the “Florida’s Eden Project.” This citizen-based initiative intends to portray “Florida’s Eden” to the rest of the world through the work of the many talented naturalists and culturalists who live and work here. To learn much more about “Florida’s Eden” and the AAONF please visit |
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