1. Can you provide some details about yourself?

I am a full-time resident of Palm Springs, CA, transplanted from New York in 2019. Since moving here, I have been heavily influenced by the vast beauty and colors that surround me on my weekly hikes. I often marvel at the way that my work has transformed.

Although I studied sculpture in college, as a painter I am self-taught. I have been painting since 2015, and within that time, I have had both solo and group exhibitions at a variety of venues across the country and sold my work internationally. I am currently represented by Pryor Fine Art in Atlanta, GA.

I am extremely active in the local art scene. I am one of four founders of Desert Open Studios, an open studio tour across the Coachella Valley, organizing 150 artists annually. Additionally, I am the founder of the monthly art walk in the Perez Art District, where my studio is located.

My gallery-fronted studio space, Anne Bedrick Fine Art, is open to the public. In 2020, it was voted as one of three best galleries in the Coachella Valley by Palm Springs Life editors and readers. Located at 68845 Perez Road (Building H), Unit 27, Cathedral City, CA 92234, it is open Wednesday- Saturday 11am-3pm, by chance, or by appointment. I love to meet art lovers and speak about the work on display as well as to help collectors find the work that speaks to them and suits their home. Contact me via email anne@annebedrick.com or phone 914-522-4127 with any inquiries.

2. What inspired you to pursue art?

As an artist, I have always been fascinated by watching what is in front of me and how it can transform. The paint is my partner rather than my subordinate and I try to respect what it does naturally. I begin each piece like a kindergartner, playfully using unusual tools such as squeegees and brushes mounted on long dowels to help distance me from what I know how to do. Each day is a journey of discovery, and each layer and mark reflect the emotional quality of the moment in which they were created.

I try to honor and preserve as much of the beginning of a painting as possible, because the early, raw marks are so genuine and are at the core of what the painting is. It’s like how as adults we try to hold onto a slice of our innocence and enthusiasm because they’re central to who we are. Some parts are too “too” and so over time we quiet them and reshape them. But the parts that remain are the gems.

As I build layers and pare them back down, colors consort and negotiate for space, giving voice to inner truths. In the end, each piece impacts the viewer in the same way that jazz or classical music can, going beyond words and speaking to the universal truth of human experience.

In my newest series of work, “Redactions”, I am exploring what we reveal and what we keep private. The rectangles that float on top of the work hide certain aspects of the piece and represent the things that are kept secret or hidden in each of us.

3. What accomplishments have you reached, and what aspirations are on your horizon?

I am so proud that my work continues to grow. I am always pushing myself and exploring what the paint can do and how I can express myself with it. One of my proudest achievements was an installation, “Standing Tall”, that I created in 2021. Standing Tall is an installation that consists of

-16 nearly 9 foot tall x 2 foot wide acrylic painted canvas panels

-16 one-inch acrylic painted wooden squares.

This installation explores not only scale but what it has meant to me to be female over the past half century (see statement in blue below).

My installation, “Standing Tall” plays with scale and with what it means to me to be female today and over the past half century.

50 years ago, at around 7 years old, I began to notice that being female in the world offered a different experience than that offered to my male counterparts.

The nearly 9 foot panels represent women today. They engulf you. Their size demands your attention, they won’t let you ignore them as they claim their space. Loose, unstretched, unbound and standing tall, they step away from “should” and “supposed to”.

By contrast, the 1-inch pieces represent the way that I and many women, learned to be pleasant, helpful, and non-threatening. They fit easily anywhere, are small and won’t take over, you can equally easily choose to look at or walk past them.

This installation will be on view again this coming October at Studio Channel Islands outside of LA. I am excited to see it up again, and to see how it reads differently in a different space.

4. Are there any words of wisdom that resonate with you?

“Listen inside yourself”. We always know the right next steps in both life and in paintings when we do so.

5. Could you discuss obstacles you’ve encountered in your career and where you stand with your work today?

Early on the biggest obstacle was not having as much time as I needed to truly develop my work. Since I decided to make painting my full-time career, it has grown to be so much better and so much more personal that I am always excited to head to the studio and see where it will lead me next.

At this point, I really want to find more galleries to represent me and am currently researching them to find those that seem like a good fit.