MEET ANNIE KING

Inspired by the intrinsic value that creating art promotes a sense of healing, Annie’s paintings play a significant role in her journey of seeking, surrendering, and trusting God. Each of her paintings are a reflection of learning, re-learning, and ultimate realization as information emerges, hides, and then reinvents itself through layers and layers of material. Using mostly soft-bodied paints with various mixed media, her paintings create a loose yet contained aesthetic that conveys the constant struggle of maintaining peace and truth among the confusions of life. 

Annie received her BFA from UGA and then was led to obtaining her Masters in art therapy and clinical counseling after she started experiencing and witnessing the powerful benefits of art. From art educator to art therapist, she has always remained rooted in her own growth as an artist. She is currently painting full time in Atlanta, Georgia, where she also remains busy with her two beautiful children.

Q: How did you become interested in art?

A: I was Always interested in art and have been creating ever since I was a little girl. I'd get in trouble for drawing on the walls and on the inside doors of cars, furniture, etc. It was innate!

Q: What's the inspiration behind the piece Abbey selected for the collaboration?

A: This is actually amazing...That piece was done exactly a year ago, when we were in quarantine and the adrenaline from the shutdown was starting to wear off. It was a painting that represented so much loss, yet so much gain at the same time and I was trying to find the balance. It was a reflection on how we all were isolated, losing so much from work, school, connection/interaction, hugs; yet also a reflection on all that we were gaining as well: the slow pace, time, neighborhood camaraderie, family bonding, etc. It is super cool that this has come full circle today.

Q: What’s your favorite color combination?

A: Right now its green and pink or nude, pink, and orange...always with black, of course

Q: What’s your medium and artistic process?

A: I use mostly soft-bodied acrylic paints along with other mixed media to create a loose yet contained aesthetic. My process is definitely intuitive, and I paint for the process until a sense of stability among the impulsive chaotic details emerges.

Q: Is there a famous artist that inspires you?

A: I have always loved Frida Kablo. She was fierce and rebellious; yet soft at the same time. And whether she knew it or not, she was a forerunner for art therapy. She started painting in her hospital bed, and as an art therapist, I am drawn to painters whose artistic practice began when enduring a healing journey. I love seeing a person's story in their work.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Eclectic, casual, trendy with a little edge. Style in art: abstract 

Q: How has your artwork influenced your relationship with fashion or vice versa?

A: It has made me appreciate fashion in such a deeper way. I have always loved fashion, seeing and wearing new trends and styles, but it is art. And I'd rather buy and shop consciously for that one statement piece or to support the designer rather than multiple sets of mass produced items.  

Q: What do you put on when you need some inspiration or a mood booster and why?

A: Earrings. I love big earrings, and I rarely wear them during the day while I paint or when I run around with kids. They get tugged and pulled too often; so when I do wear them, I instantly feel glamorous. 

Q: What do you love most about living in the South?

A: The people and the weather!!