17 Ann Marshall

 

Ann Marshall is an award-winning artist, illustrator, and cartoonist, from New York City (NYC). Known primarily for her collage paintings, she illustrated the children's book, Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen.  It tells the story of a Jewish prisoner during WWII who saved 52 children from the Nazis, and it won numerous awards, including the 2004 National Jewish Book Award. Since the start of the 2020 Covid pandemic and quarantine, Ann has been drawing a "Corona Diary" cartoon (a few examples are shown at the bottom).

Possibly titled 'Empire'?

I don' know all that much about Ann's life as of yet, but she has agreed to an interview, so stay tuned. Ann grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She studied anthropology and traveled the world as an ethnographer and consumer anthropologist. She also went to art school to study illustration. I'll post more information as it becomes available.

'I Used to Be a Southern Belle'

Ann talks about her portraits in this interview with Leigh Karen Labay (HaHa Magazine, no date):

"My interest has always been painting individuals, but not necessarily perfectly replicating an entire environment since the camera is far more efficient at this and it's a far too rigid goal to be enjoyable (at least for me). I find this style allows me to merge my two interests while tackling the elusiveness of personality and inner worlds. My subjects, like myself, are essentially introverted."

As to her models, she says, "Actually, my boyfriend is in there somewhere, but yes, I mostly paint women becuse I think they are more fun to paint."

'Garden'

While there are other artists on this list who collage designs for their paintings, for example Jennifer Nehrbass, Laura Sanders, and Karen Ann Myers, they do so digitally. Ann Marshall is the only one who does it by hand. She tells Labay:

"I enjoy working by hand. While the technology to produce digital work has improved in the last ten years, I still prefer the experience of making things in real space more. It's messier, less exact and certainly a lot more flaw prone. But, in the end I think handmade work possesses a warmth and humanity that a lot of digital work still lacks. Also, I have a hard time sitting in one position all day. I was in an accident a year ago, and as a result, it can become uncomfortable if I have to sit in the same position for hours at a time. Really heavy long-term computer use is probably out for me."

'Vertigo'

Ann lists some of her favorite artists for HaHa Magazine: Gustav Klimt, Rembrandt, Goya, Holbein, Durer, Memling, Vermeer and Bellini. She says, ". . . all of which are great in sympathetically portraying humanity, in all it's complications. I could go on, but this list is getting troublingly random." She goes on to say:

"I saw a Fra Angelico show at the MET years ago that nearly brought me to tears it was so beautiful. Contemporary Chinese and Japanese work has a vitality that's hard to beat, and there's a Brazilian artist, Herbert Baglione, whose work I'm currently obsessed with. In terms of good figurative composition, comic and graphic novel artists are the best."

'Pattern Recognition'

Ann tells Labay about her award-winning children's book (HaHa Magazine, no date):

"Luba, The Angel of Bergen-Belsen was written by Michelle McCann and was an amazing accoutn of a woman responsible for saving 52 children at Bergen-Belsen. I remember lying in bed the night I got the project thinking "I've just accepted a children's book on the Holocaust... Dear God, what have I done?

"It was a tricky project because of the subject matter and there was a very thing right rope to walk. If the illustrations were too realistic, it would be inappropriate for children; too rosy, and you are making light of the Holocaust. It seemed impossible. I locked myself in my apartment for six months a nd worked on the art. Thinking and learning about the Holocaust for that period of time is not easy and eventually I started listening to trashy novels while worked as an escape. Still, it was a fascinating project. After the project ended, it won a few awards, and I eventually met Luba and a few of the children she saved. I will never forget the experience. They were some of hte most impressive people I have ever met."

Annmarshallart.com

Instagram Account

'Olivia'

'Katherine'

'Francine'

'Kitty!'

'Summer Intern(ment)'

'Sunshine and Molasses'

'Beige'

'Madame Secretary'

'I, Coyote'

'Call Me Bear'

'Clover'

'Ba'

'Black Bear'

'Red Squirrel'

'Flying Fox'

'Arctic Wolf'

'Fox'

'Christine & Louisa'

'Crafty Girl'

'Fox in Sox'

'Chuck & Nancy'

'Elena Kagan'

'Jane Goodall'

'The Fabulous RBG'

'Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III'

'Stephen Miller'

'Michael Cohen'

'Steve Bannon'

'Benjamin Netanyahu'