annemariesandstrom

I love exploring the creative side of life. As a custom picture framer by profession, I also have a great love of frames, framing, and creating them. I have recently taken up the task of purchasing an assortment of frames; antiques, old new, in need of TLC, and fixing them up.
Some of my other creative loves include knitting and crocheting, wheel pottery (will go back to that soon I hope), pasta-making (when I have the time of course), and cooking/baking.


I am a graduate from the University of Connecticut in 1993 with a BFA in Graphic Design, and have been an artist for most of my life.
I began at an early age using graphite and colored pencils, interested in the play and contrasts of light and darks on architecture, moving to life studies including portraits and animals in nature.
In college, I discovered the mediums of both oils and watercolors while studying graphic design, and continued to pursue and develop this interest after graduation, expanding my subjects to both landscapes and seascapes. It is in this area that I have found my niche.
I have had a number of gallery shows and outdoor exhibits, my first being an open studio three person show in 1998.
In 2001, I had my first one man show at the Ivy Bistro in Manhattan. I have had several commissions and artwork in private collections, including a series of fifteen watercolors for the Murray Hill Foundation offices in Manhattan, two large oil paintings of Venetian scenes, and various private portraits and landscapes. Besides commissions and shows, I have illustrated for two books; Owls; Their Life and Behavior; Crown Publishing, 1989 and Tree ID Kit, the Lawrence Company, 1992.
I look to find interesting dark and light patterns in seemingly mundane snippets of landscapes and architecture, using colors that are a shade or two more intense.

I am currently living in Fort Wayne, Indiana with my husband and four children.