Wild at Heart

Hello, I am Anne Wood.

Welcome to my Wild at Heart Studio in rural Lincolnshire.

Working with oils, and the addition of cold wax medium, my work is about a journey with paint, making something which wasn't there before.

Twenty years ago I had no idea where my first paintings would take me. At first it was watercolour, then acrylic and finally oil paint. They were works based on reality, landscapes and coastal studies and for several years I painted what others wanted to see.

Then I realised it was not what I wanted...my heart was elsewhere. I have not looked back. The work I create now has come a long way and I am happy.

I hope you enjoy reading my art story.

WILD ABOUT PAINT...

Wild at Heart Studio in rural Lincolnshire is where I create my oil paintings. They are everywhere in this timber cabin, from tiny oil studies on paper to larger canvases hanging on the walls.

I began making my art twenty years ago. A visit to a painting exhibition had inspired me. I wanted to see what I could do myself but it was many years since my brief encounter with art school. I knew I had a long journey ahead so I taught myself daily to find what I wanted to say in my paintings.

Oil paint became my favourite medium, and I began to feel my way. My work became looser and more painterly. Bold and expressive paintings emerged and I got excited by the spontaneity and freedom that abstraction offered when making my marks.

I added cold wax to my oil palette and it took me further, transforming the way I moved paint around. The oils and wax are smooth and luscious and when they are sculpted with knives, rollers and scrapers, wonderful effects happen. I add layers and then destroy parts by scraping back which reveals the underneath, rather like archeology. The painting begins to have a history.

The 'wild' in the work comes from making intuitive geometric and organic shapes. One shape can inspire the forming of another. Colour adds drama to my work. Again, the wild is there in my colour palette. The paintings tell the story. It is a visual language of my working process.

I am a member of the Lincolnshire Artists' Society and the Nadin Group, exhibiting my paintings in the group shows. I have received four awards for my work.

I currently serve on the Committee of the Lincolnshire Artists' Society.

Below are some examples of recent work created or re-worked in my studio.