Ann Marie Coolick

Artist Statement

Using only palette knives and paint straight from the tube, Ann Marie is an impasto oil painter focusing on contemporary landscapes. Relying solely on memory, Ann Marie's recent body of work references natural elements and infrastructure, including visual enlargements of foliage from her neighborhood, the historic Aurora Highlands in Arlington, Virginia. She slathers frosting-like paint layer upon layer onto her small-scale canvases, with paint running off the edges resulting in a sculptural, three-dimensional appearance. Ann Marie fits as much as she can onto small canvases, a metaphor for the multitude of McMansions being constructed on tiny plots of land around Aurora Hills. Inspired by expressionist artists Joan Mitchell, Frank Auerbach, and Hans Hofmann, Ann Marie considers her style a blend of expressionism and impressionism.

Biography

Ann Marie has been a Resident Artist at the Arlington Arts Center since it reopened in 2004. She graduated from Virginia Tech Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Studio Art (painting concentration) and a BS in Marketing Management in 2003. Ann Marie has had solo exhibitions at the Arlington Arts Center, HNTB Architecture, and the University of Michigan. A native of Manassas, Ann Marie has a solo exhibit at her hometown gallery, the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory, in February 2009.