"PORTRAIT OF SEBASTIAN WITH FRIEND RUTH"
For Anna Magruder art is as much about building community as it is about process and refining technique. She takes every opportunity she can to get out and see what others are doing at art openings, local festivals, craft shows and galleries. She tries to do her part to build community, whether by hosting a small artists group, attending other groups or helping organize and promote craft shows.
There’s no place Anna would rather be than in Portland creating art. She was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, then headed off to college at the University of North Texas to major in graphic design with a minor in philosophy. After graduating from college, Anna traveled and worked as a graphic designer, moving from Texas to Colorado and eventually migrating north to Portland. She opened her own graphic design business in 2005 and then took a leap of faith, leaving the routine and security of the business to focus on what’s become her passion — oil painting and illustration. Her favorite subjects are people and animals and whatever lies between. Many of Anna’s images are inspired by old photos and yearbooks. Drifting between realism and surrealism, Anna loves recreating vintage America, reimagining the lives and stories of past students and strong women and exploring the emotional color of faces in the crowd.
Contact the artist: www.annamagruder.com
annamagruder@hotmail.com