Anne Westley

I was born in a beautiful area of rural upstate New York. As a child (and through my teen years) I was raised surrounded by an abundance of nature and solitude. My appreciation of the arts was influenced early on by this background setting of the natural world, as well as by my paternal grandmother and aunt, who were also artists and my father and paternal grandfather who were craftsman in their spare time. I often roamed the countryside on endless adventures of exploration, which served to help develop an early foundation of observation and where I learned to appreciate natural form, color, etc. I attended the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University after I graduated from high school, which encouraged me to delve deeper into the improvisation of techniques and the application of all materials to create. I’ve always tried to continue to grow and learn as an artist as there are no limits to where our imaginations can roam at any age. I feel art is universal - it crosses all boundaries, all cultures, all realms, and to artistically be able to create works which move the viewer, or cause them to pause and think, creates connection to the world which nothing else can quite compare to.

My family, endless observations of people, nature and the world around us, walks through museums, years of trial and error of techniques and materials, reading about other artists and their works, experiencing art shows, learning from conversations with countless fellow artists; more formal training came from art classes in high school and a tremendous fine arts curriculum at Syracuse University where I received my BFA.

VanGogh, Cassatt, the Hudson River Artists, The Masters, Michelangelo, Rodin, western artists (Remington, Russell), among so, so many others.

Several, but just through random art shows through the years.

My hobbies include art, horses, antiques, music, sports, and books.

Live the dream of being an artist. Enjoy the fellowship of others in the creative realm.