Learn about the creative process

The studio practice is a movement of time, chemistry, and physical labor. Whether preparing a traditional canvas that arrives ready to hang or sculpting a freestanding ArtSpire, Anne’s creative process is an intense exploration of hidden depth and contrasting materials.

Here is how that visceral, multi-day journey unfolds from start to finish.

Phase 1: Prepping the Spine (The Woodwork)

For the ArtSpires, the process begins long before a paintbrush is ever touched. Anne starts with raw, solid oak poles that require meticulous woodworking.

• Cutting & Shaping: Anne cuts each heavy pole down to its precise size establishing its unique height and presence.

• The Sanding Cycle: Anne sands the raw timber down to a smooth, flawless finish, preparing it to receive the finish by hand.

• Varnish & Reveal: Anne applies multiple layers of clear varnish to protect the wood, hand sanding thoroughly between each coat. This repetitive, disciplined cycle of varnishing and sanding strips away any imperfections to beautifully reveal the rich, natural grain and pale gold hue of the oak.

Once the poles are pristine, Anne cuts sheets of mini canvas to perfectly match the circumference of the wood, setting up the foundation for the paint.

Phase 2: The Under-Color and the Smear

The magic of Anne’s painting technique—used on both the traditional canvases and the ArtSpire sheets—lies in what is hidden. Anne builds a foundation using colours to add intrigue to what lies beneath.

The Palette Knife Smear: Using a palette knife, Anne smears contrasting, heavy-bodied acrylics across the surface, creating an interplay of different colours. 

Phase 3: The 30-Minute Threshold

Once the vibrant, smeared layers are down, Anne steps away, giving the paint exactly 20 to 30 minutes to partially dry depending on the thickness achieved.

This short window is critical. It allows the surface of the acrylic to form a delicate, skin while remaining soft and malleable underneath. If Anne moves too fast, the colours will fuse together a little too much; if Anne waits too long, they will lock up completely.

Phase 4: The White Veil and the Reveal

When the time is exactly right, Anne returns to apply a stark white layer using that same heavy palette knife technique, temporarily masking the vibrant chaos underneath. Then comes the most exciting part of the practice: the pull.

Armed with an assortment of different-sized implements, Anne pulls through the wet white paint, tearing open the surface. Depending on the size of the implement sometime the stroked are fast and sometimes slow, deliberate pull creates smooth, sweeping or sharp ridges. Because the paint is barely-dry underneath, the process yields joyful, accidental discoveries—a sudden pop of colour or a ribbon of texture that could never have been intentionally engineered.

Phase 5: The Curing, Wrapping, and Final Seal

Because the finished paintings are incredibly thick and highly textural, they cannot be rushed. The heavy ridges of acrylic require many days of drying in the studio to cure completely through to the centre.

Once the paint is fully cured, the artworks reach their final state:

• The Traditional Canvases: These are edged, fitted with hardware, and made ready to hang on a wall as windows of deep, layered motion.

• The ArtSpires: Anne carefully wraps the textured mini canvases around the prepped oak poles. The canvass is fitted to the wood, and Anne secures it firmly in place. Finally, Anne applies small tiny details to obscure the join and a top sealant over the piece, locking in the contrast between the silky-smooth, clear-varnished natural oak and the explosive, sculpted landscape of the paint.

Standing alone or clustered together in pairs and trios, the finished ArtSpires become living, rotating stories that invite viewers to walk completely around them to discover every hidden layer Anne dragged to light. The traditional canvasses are hanging to adorn the walls to create an engaging anchor in a room where the viewer can get lost in the layers without distraction.

Both formats, Anne plays with two completely different emotional registers:

• The Traditional Canvas invokes introspection, focus, and quiet observation from a restful, fixed perspective.

• The ArtSpire invokes playfulness, curiosity, and physical engagement as the viewer is forced to move their body around the object.

Ultimately, Anne’s work bridges two worlds—using traditional canvases to invite deep reflection and bring a room to its potential, while her dynamic ArtSpires step off the wall entirely to become physical, interactive stories you can walk around and touch.