Painting and mixed media

...you will see a preview of Anna's new backyard studio. While some finishing work is still needed, the space is now a functioning art studio and will give visitors insight into Anna's creative process behind the scenes. Seeing work in progress alongside some finished pieces will give visitors a sense of how important the natural landscape is to Anna’s practice, and acquaint you with the slow, fragmented process of her mixed media work. Ask Anna about plans for her September artist residency at Richmond Beach through Shoreline Public Art!

I integrate textures from the coast, plains, and forest floor into mixed media paintings, reflecting the rugged tranquility of the natural world. Rooted in the concept of rupture and repair, my work comes together in messy fragments and explores the resilience and beauty of our wild surroundings.

Anna Wetzel Artz is an artist and educator based in Shoreline, WA. She holds a BFA from Kansas State University, M.Ed. from Rockhurst University, and was a 2008 member of Oax-i-fornia, California College of the Art’s collaborative design workshop. Anna teaches elementary art in public schools, and maintains a curatorial exercise called Go Slow Art Club.

You will see a mix of finished works and artwork in progress, plus reference images and sketchbook pages. I work in collage and mixed media, so you'll see evidence of my layered materials: acrylic paint, ink, found paper. I am a K-8 art teacher in public schools by day, so I may also set up a hands-on creative experience for visitors to engage in.

I work in a backyard studio shed that is accessed from a gate next to the house. There are no stairs, but there is a slight grade up the front path and the terrain is varied. If it has been raining, the unpaved path to the studio may be somewhat slippery or muddy.