Anna McDermott: Presence

About

“When I start to make a piece, my reflected image is shattered into a thousand shards – and that represents, for me, what I went through”

London-born Anna McDermott started her artistic career at the prestigious Central Saint Martins college of art.  After a thirty-year hiatus in creative activity Anna began painting again as a form of therapy and, in 2015, she made the decision to focus on developing her artistic style and character – a break which led to an epiphany.  Producing fragmented abstract landscapes on aluminium, Anna paints using a unique combination of acrylic paints and Russian Standard vodka.

Her first show for some years, Presence will be exhibited at Artizan in April 2017, as a part of our 2017 Solo Series.  

The exhibition will run from 1st – 29th April with a ‘Meet the Artist’ private viewing on 1st April.

About the Work

I developed this technique in order to have as much artistic freedom as possible.  It might seem odd to be using vodka, but it’s only another form of spirit.  My eureka! Moment came a few years ago, after experimenting with surgical spirit in an unventilated room, which became unbearably uncomfortable.  I took refuge in a pub garden and saw a spill of vodka reacting with a patch of oil on the ground, creating exactly the kind of beautiful image I wanted.  

Making art allows me to deal with a lifetime of trauma.  I find that in life you either focus on the negative and let it drag you down, or you do something with it – and I’m doing something with it.

Other Events

Cocktail Masterclass and Tasting Evening - Prelaunch for Presence: 31-03-17 19:00-21:00, £15, http://www.artizangallery.co.uk/article/393-cocktail-masterclass-and-tasting-evening

Stanze Extravaganza: 24-04-17, 19:45-22:00, £6 https://www.facebook.com/pg/artizangallery/events/

Acoustic Night with Guest Set from Simon Coverdale: 17-04-17, 20:00-22:00, £5 https://www.facebook.com/events/1803099833347446/