Makers Among Us....Sammamish Artist Anna Macrae

Meet Anna Macrae.

Her abstract expressionist art channels energy through color, texture, forms, and more; you cannot sit quietly in the presence of her work.  The power and vibrancy dictate a reaction and that`s just as Anna intends: “The inspiration for my work is generated by my reaction to the materials and techniques that I use. I am excited by and  respond to; the application of the paint, the texture, embedded materials, the surface, thick to thin, line, hard edge, dry brush, pallet knife, scrapping and scratching, raw, awkward, controlled chaos, gesture, tension, contrast and contradiction”.

When you meet her, her English accent makes clear that she came to Sammamish by way of having been born and educated in England.  Anna is a third generation artist, wife, mother of three daughters, and a mover and shaker in the local arts community.  Friendly and with a great sense of humor, it might seem incongruous that these high voltage works come from such a nice lady.  Don’t mistake her for a softie; she is a dynamic maker with things to do.  This year is her third as chair of the Sammamish Arts Fair, leading the process and
particulars necessary to direct a volunteer group to stage a successful and notable arts event for the city.  There may be no tougher role than organizing artists, many of them new to participating in any kind of an art show. Over the course of the 6 months of Fair preparation, she particularly enjoys creating a sense of community among the participating artists and fostering friendships that go on long after the event concludes.

Anna’s interest in art was clear throughout high school and college, but the fascination was set aside in favor of the practicality of her career in civil engineering and the time demands of raising her family. She was involved in school art classes and projects with her girls, and then enrolled locally in studio instruction at Kirkland Arts Center a few years ago to reenergize a passion for abstract oil painting.  She is process driven and the inspiration for her work is generated by her reaction to the materials and techniques that she uses.  "I keep the color palate limited because I add so much movement and energy with the layers. Each painting is a spontaneous process." Paintings can take more than a couple of weeks to complete as layers must dry before more are added.  "Usually when I get into a painting, I do it kind of rapidly because I am responding to the randomness of the textures and emotion," she explains.

Her artwork is on frequent display in the Greater Puget Sound area.  Just finished
was a three month show at the Sammamish City Hall Commons Gallery, in conjunction with artist Carol Ross.  The show was titled “The Journey” and it examined common ground and contrasts in space and architecture. She had work in the annual Kirkland Art Center Juried Members Show. Swedish Medical Center at the Highlands purchased some of her pieces for their permanent collection. Anna was also featured at the Bellevue Regional Library as part of an installation for the “Arts in Public Places" program run by the Eastside Association of Fine Arts. As an active member of artEAST, Anna has curated shows at the gallery and is a frequent participant in their exhibitions.  She was a Sammi Awards nominee in 2011 for her contributions to bringing arts to the community, and she also received a President’s award for volunteerism in the community. 

She’s a dynamo, with energy to spare.  The energy in her art works is waiting for you at the Sammamish Arts Fair, October 13thn and 14th.  See fair details at http://sammamishartsfair.wordpress.com/ and more of Anna`s work at www.annamacrae.com.