Anna Grace Reed was born in Collinsville, Texas. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Studio Art with a Concentration in Painting and Drawing at the University of North Texas. She will continue her schooling with her master's in art education at Texas Woman's University. She has been a part of minimal school activities and minimal shows.
Anna currently works service jobs to gain work experience for post-graduate life. Despite the current employment opportunities, Anna works to make personal connections and build a community through her schooling. She aspires to teach middle school to high school children the love of art while being involved in smaller gallery opportunities and artistic communities post-graduation.
Artist Statement
I use imagery from my childhood to convey my frustration with growing up and accepting
change. My themes collide old photos with thrown paint and abstracted forms to convey my
connection to loved ones and lost memories. Many of my pieces are made very quickly with
simplified forms and flat color planes.
My themes call for pastels and often neutral tones. My body of work reflects similar color
palettes, falling into gender-norm stereotypes about young girls. I use abstraction and intentional
mark-making to convey my changing body and how I feel within it. I use primarily oil paint on
canvas/wood panels of medium size. The size reflects how strongly I feel a piece needs to be seen.
Generally, the larger the work, the more compelling I feel it is. Recently, I have been experimenting
with non-traditional mediums such as spray paint, sculpting mediums, and bead mediums to better
depict my rough and bumpy changing emotions.
I invoke emotions about the transition from childhood to adulthood in a meaningful way that
alters my experiences into a safe space for struggling young adults. A comforting reminder that no
one is alone in their struggles with acceptance. Everyone is working through something.