Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Berry
Hi Anne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My mother is an artist and from the time I can remember provided me and my three brothers with the materials and space to create art. We carved Ivory soap, sculpted with clay, painted, and cast lead figures. I had a supportive art teacher in high school, and I studied visual art and art history in college. The influence of art history on my photography is not obvious, but it contributes to a certain way of looking and composing. The South is also deep influence on my art. I grew up in Georgia, as did all my family. I explored all the wild places, from the creek and woods of my yard in Atlanta and the red clay roads of our little cabin on Lake Burton, to the sandy roads of my grandparent’s Americus and the coast. Themes of land, family and loss are central. The darkly romantic Southern Gothic atmosphere of my art comes from listening to bluegrass ballads and reading Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, and Poe, and perhaps from my family’s love of cemeteries and ghosts.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Time management is my biggest challenge . My passion is making the photographs, but I also like to show the work in books and exhibitions. It takes time to market the books by giving interviews and having book signings. Exhibitions need planning, publicity and installation. All of these aspects of an artist’s life are rewarding, but I often find it tough to find the time and creative energy to make the work.
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As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I make photographs that investigate the animal world, the domain of childhood, and the terrain of the Southern wilderness. The memories, stories and settings of my Southern inform the themes and, infuse the photographs with a darkly romantic and southern gothic feeling. I explore themes of brokenness, nostalgia for a green, fertile world, and a yearning to go back to the past and set things right. I use antique analog lenses to make square black and white prints, purposely creating an atmosphere removed from reality and a longing for a lost green and meaningful past, but the natural settings, the animals, the children themselves and the metaphorical elements speak of hope and grace. It is an urgent call to honor and protect nature.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
I’ve learned that he voice of art strengthens the choir of activism. There is always something we can do to make things better. I use my art to increase awareness of causes that concern me. I curated an exhibition entitled Touching Magic: Scenes from an Enchanted Wilderness. The 40 large panels by 28 artists are all photographic works made on the wilderness barrier islands in Georgia. This exhibition is available to travel along with programing to bring awareness to the magic and beauty of the Georgia coast, which faces many threats.
Pricing:
- Behind Glass, $65
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.anneberrystudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_n_n_e_b_e_r_r_y/
