I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a Painting Concentration at Colorado State in 1984 and a Master of Fine Arts at The University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993. I exhibited extensively along Colorado’s Front Range in the 1980s, using oil, acrylic and pastels and painting figurative works. I also experimented with early computer-assisted imagery during this time. Restless, I sought to move elsewhere and go to graduate school. I ended up getting accepted at the University of Wisconsin.
My work took a radical turn in and after graduate school. I made non-representational mixed metallic media paintings in the 1990s, and exhibited throughout Wisconsin and some nationally. I also worked independently as a digital artist, doing web designs (ann-s-thesia.com) and inventing decorative “dingbat” fonts. (The Dingbatcave) I created rich, textural, abstract and surreal imagery in the 2000s and early 2010s with both 2D and 3D software programs. During this time I was also creating jewelry with semiprecious stones as a counterbalance to the technology. (eyebalm.com)
In the mid-2010s, after dealing with some stressing issues, I “unplugged” with watercolors, painting abstract landscapes, which is what I am doing today. After a lifetime of living in small, cramped quarters, mostly in the city, I moved to “The Driftless Area” in a suburb atop a ridge where I can be inspired by the farmland and highway below me and the sunsets and clouds above, which have either been hidden by mountains, or trees and buildings before.
Most recently, I have been “painting blind” after a series of eye operations and being unable to wear eye glasses until my prescription stabilizes. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, I feel some of these are my strongest works.
Other creative pursuits
- contributor of visual work to the musical group, Biota/Mnemonists, on their various CD and vinyl releases since the mid-late 1980s.
- crocheting, weaving, knitting: designing various custom home accessories
- horticultural hobbyist growing many houseplants, especially coleus which I have bred unique hybrids of.
Biographical
- Born June 30, 1961 in Racine, WI
- Lived in South Bend, IN; Raynham, MA; Liverpool, NY; and Fort Collins, CO all by the time I was 10.
- Married Stan Starbuck (1988)
- Moved to Madison, WI (1989)
- Moved to Mount Horeb, WI (2018)
All artwork © Ann Stretton.
For inquiries about art, contact annmagenta (at) gmail (dot) com.
Ann Stretton Fine Art 