Ann was born in St. Asaph, Flintshire and now lives above the Ogwen Valley, in Gerlan, near Bethesda, Gwynedd.

She graduated in 1988 from Exeter College of Art & Design with an Honours Degree in Graphic design, was drawn 'home' to Wales where she worked as a freelance designer and illustrator until 1995.

Ann was Managing/Creative Director of Welsh web design company WiSS from 1996 to 2009.

Work in print includes illustrations for children's books, book cover design, editorial illustration, advertising campaigns and graphic work for a variety of clients and organisations across Wales and the UK.

Since being accepted as an associate member of the Royal Cambrian Academy in 1992 and becoming a full member the following year, her work as a painter and printmaker has taken precedence over illustration and design.

She was a member of the Conwy Print Workshop from 1993 until it closed in 1997. All her printmaking is now carried out in a small home-based studio in Gerlan.

Ann has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions, as well as solo and joint exhibitions in Liverpool, Manchester and Cardiff.

In 2005 Ann decided to take on the responsibility for setting-up a life-drawing group on behalf of the Royal Cambrian Academy. After running and co-ordinating the group for two years, Ann handed over to gallery staff who continue to organise a programme of classes on Wednesday evenings.

Ann has been a member of the RCA's council on four occasions, from 1994 to 1997, 1999 to 2002 (as secretary), from 2003 to 2006 and is part of the current council membership.

Her work can currently be seen at the Tegfryn Gallery, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, the Martin Tinney Gallery in Cardiff, the Royal Cambrian Academy in Conwy, Galeri in Betws y Coed, Lion Street Gallery in Hay-on-Wye andTonnau in Pwllheli.

Ann has work in the collection of the National Library of Wales (purchased in 1996 and 2006) and the UK Government Art Collection (purchased 2012).


Why do I work primarily in lino?

"Whilst my work is varied, both in style and media, my real passion is for the humble lino.

I enjoy the physical process of cutting warm, fresh lino with sharp tools and get enormous pleasure from the variety of styles and marks I can achieve with such simple materials and tools.

The nature of the medium produces an unmistakable, graphic look and feel, yet I have found that by using the medium and tools creatively, without any reservations or preconceived ideas of what they are capable of doing, it has the flexibility to enable subjects of all types to be interpreted.

Over the years I've chatted with many people about my chosen medium and I've lost count of the number of people who remeber it as something they did at school, with mixed results. Unfortunately this association has for some, make it a medium to avoid, both as artists and purchasers of art, possibly through fear of not wanting to express an interest in a 'lightweight' form of art.

Part of my passion is to dispel what I firmly belive to be an unwarranted belief by making linocut prints acceptable as serious works of art and to demonstrate to other artists and the general public that linocutting can be as expressive, adaptive, flexible and exciting a medium as any other”.

Ann Lewis - July 2011

 
   

Home | The artist | In the artist's studio | A print's progress | Greetings cards | Print order form
Gallery 1 Welsh landscapes | Gallery 2 Frogs & geckos | Gallery 3 Cats | Gallery 4 Plants and Birds
Diary 2010 | Diary 2008/2009 | Diary 2006/2007 | Diary 2005 | Diary 2004

All images copyright © Ann Lewis R.C.A. 2005 - 2010