biography

Anita was born in 1957 in Santa Monica, California, and was raised in Los Angeles and Europe. She received her formal education at university in the Los Angeles area, with a degree in Art and Design. Throughout her youth she indulged her talent in art and drawing, beginning oil painting in an adult class at the tender young age of 12. By the age of 14 she was already selling her work and taking commissions.

During her education and training, she discovered (alongside the impressionists) the abstract modern, especially the classical masters of the 20th century, Richard Diebenkorn and Mark Rothko. They were going to be her mentors.

Almost self taught in the discipline of capturing mood and a glowing transparency in her work, she did not forget the detail in the obscure. It has been said of her work, that it exudes an extreme pleasant mood, and possibly a story, to be determined individually. When around her work, people have mentioned a sense of balance and serenity, enjoying it’s presence in the room. Some have also determined that it makes them think.

Anita has also enjoyed a European background and has traveled extensively throughout the world. In 1979, she moved to Southern Germany. While living in Europe for almost 20 years, she gained a sense of European Modernism, which she is internationally well known for in her design work. However, she was still fascinated by the classical masters of European Art and Architecture.

Even though she is of modern design and art, she maintains there is much to be learned from the classics. Her outlet for the appreciation of classical Europe is her occasional output of impressionist style work, which has been mainly landscapes. “It helps me to ground and center myself once again, after longer periods of abstract painting. I have to find the realism of form, shape and subject in order to charge up the creativity and freedom of the abstract once again.”  And so, her work is very versatile.

Nevertheless, whether abstract or impressionism, you will definitely recognize her style as being quite understated, yet rich, with attention to detail, be it in her craftsmanship or in the pictorial.  Her philosophy of “less is more” encompasses both her style in design and art.

Her goal in her art is to be true to herself and her style. What makes her art unique is that a sense of classicism is found in all she creates. Her modern abstract reminds of the classic modern abstracts that have been forgotten as the original modern art, which has lost none of its fascination.  Her career as a designer for interior architecture has also reflected this simplistic modernism. Her goal is to create a symbiotic relationship between the two realms, hoping that her artwork will grace modern architecture and that modern architecture will grace her art.

PDF copy of modern art for modern architecture
PDF copy of Midtown Artery recommendation

statement

Education vs. Talent

My art is an outlet for my soul. I also view it as a divine presence, not created altogether myself. In my modesty,  I am grateful for my talent and I am flattered to please many in what I create. Yet I do note a drive for a certain style. It has been the essence of my life.

Formal education presents opportunity of self growth and discovery. Education can be in multiple forms. Formal, or not, life is a continuous education. One has experiences in and from nature. A walk along the beach can give relaxation or sudden epiphanies. The light of the day, the crest of the waves breaking, the ever-changing forms and colors, all teach a great discipline in to be used in art.

Art is not just of the brain. One lets go for an undisturbed hour or three and awakes from the subconscious to find a gift on the canvas. You don’t know where it came from. There are some things one cannot control completely. But it is the artist’s soul speaking and it speaks to me through the 2-dimensional canvas and paint.

Subtlety and style

Subtlety and  understated are quiet languages. Yet they speak volumes without overflow of words, yet shout an uncompromised strength.  Persistence of style, line, content or lack of it,  precision in the imprecise, detail in the obscure, clarity with sensuality, creating an unmistakable style.   This is the language of modern art, architecture, and design.   This is the language of my art.

The world is a chaotic jungle at times. Other times it can be thrilling and exuberant. The ying and the yang. My art offers the necessary balance to the chaos,  a haven of serenity and thought:  Simplistic modernism for simplistic modern environments, or contrasting eclectic classicism...a personalization of space through my art.

Enjoy...

Anita Lewis