2023 - Quite the year.
Well that went well… just a few days into 2024 and I’ve have had some time to look back at 2023 and it was quite a year.
In all, it involved…
3 TV appearances including SKY ARTS Landscape Artist of the Year Heat and semi-Final
1 Solo Show
2 Residencies
3 Workshops
5 Commissions….
Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2023.
Appearing is unlike anything artists would typically experience in the pursuit of their craft. When filming day arrives apart from tackling the creative challenge on the day, there is plenty of activity surrounding the artists from the film crew, production team and the public. All of whom are supportive of the artists and their processes. Each artist will take their own memories away and all approach the challenge in their own way. You can read more on how I tackled the creative challenges of both the Heat at Blackpool and the Semi-final at Thames Barrier here
‘Artist in Residence’ on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh
I was also thrilled to be invited to appear as Artist in Residence on the latest series of ITV’s ‘Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh’ (series 5, Episode 24 - catch up on ITVx for free). Filming took place at the programmes home location- Manor Farm in Hampshire - a place of timeless country lanes and landmarks - almost not ‘of this age’ in some of the quieter places. My task was to create an oil painting featuring this rural idyl.
I’m excited that my painting created on the day now remains on display at Manor Farm and appears besides an impressive array of famous faces each week! I’m indebted to the wonderful Alan Titchmarsh and incredibly helpful team on Love Your Weekend for a warm welcome to the farm.
Click here to read more.
Solo Exhibition: “Responses in Paint’
My solo exhibition; ‘Responses in Paint’ was at Modern Art Gallery in Chester in July 2023.
Drawing on the tradition of landscape painting, each piece aimed to present my interpretation of the landscape through an expressive use of oil paint, graphite and charcoal. Energetic but purposeful, considered brush-strokes and mark-making characterised my approach throughout the works.
Residencies
In July and mid-December I was excited to enjoy displaying some of my pieces and working at the inspirational OH Design Foundation in Chester. The Foundation has an ethos of great design at its heart coupled with a real sense of the value of creativity in our lives. As well as providing an atelier studio for emerging creatives the Foundation showcases products created by UK and international creatives –all of which are available for purchase. The Foundation attracts a wide range of visitors who come to explore this unique space within the heart of Chester. For me working in the space was an exciting opportunity to meet those visitors, many of which were keen to talk and find out about my own creative process as Artist in Residence for those dates.
Workshops
I was delighted to be invited to run 3 workshops throughout 2023. At each workshop I’ve really enjoyed working with the workshop participants who produced some impressive works during the sessions.
Commission News
It was a real pleasure to work with clients in 2023 on a number of commissions. I always enjoy hearing the story behind each commission but capturing and celebrating ‘sense of place’ often comes high on the list of reasons why clients approach me.
My approach means that the creative process plays just as important a role as the finished piece. One of my clients described how my approach worked for them in their review;
“I was fortunate to see Anne’s work on Sky’s Landscape Artist of the Year show and loved her work, the way she captured light and movement and how she came across. I reached out and my wife & I commissioned a piece for my ‘big birthday’! From the start Anne was brilliant to deal with she. She drove over to meet us, spent hours seeing our favourite views and visiting special places. Anne then produced at least 5 colour sketches. All were lovely, but we chose the one we liked best. When ready Anne delivered the painting in person, beautifully framed and spent a good hour with us talking about it, her process and being on telly! She even helped us get an idea of where it would look best.
The picture is stunning, the whole process made it a real experience and I would definitely recommend Anne Byrne without reservation.
Thank you Anne”
Click here to find out more about commissions
So that was 2023…
And ’m entering 2024 in planning mode for some exciting projects which I’m truly excited about. I hope you can join me by subscribing to me updates and news here… thanks for reading…and it’s a real pleasure to have you here.