Anne Smythe was born and trained as a commercial artist in Toronto, Canada. While working in advertising, Anne dreamed up the concepts of her paintings from her imagination, painting at night. After retiring from advertising and moving to the Ontario greenbelt a few years ago, she became fascinated with nature and has since been working to merge the strong influence of her new surroundings with the surrealist impulses of her past.
Anne is a member of Ontario Society of Artists, Women’s Art Association of Hamilton and an active member of Federation of Canadian Artists. She has shown regularly in both solo and group shows in Toronto and Hamilton and is a skilled portrait artist.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I try to paint a world that is slightly different from the one we live in. Since moving to the greenbelt, the natural forms and landscapes near me have become a source of fascination and pleasure, compelling me to try and capture them. In my studio, I translate these observations to my painting but want my imagery to move beyond the realm of classic landscape or still life so that the narrative harbours a degree of anarchy. Separating quirky or interesting images from their natural context and mixing them with reality does that.

Painting in oil gives me the freedom to follow where the painting leads, letting me adapt and combine various unrelated subjects so that the work can take on a life of its own. My ideas come to life in a way that can only be realized by putting paint on canvas. Throughout this journey, I remain committed to upholding the fine art standards set by the artists I admire.