Ann Pember, originally from Massachusetts , earned a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston in 1968. She has studied watercolor with many respected artists and spent twelve years working as a free-lance commercial artist. This included designing art for clothing stores, greeting card publishers, and toy companies. In 1976 she relocated to the Adirondack region of New York . The artist and her husband live on the shore of Lake Champlain , where they built Pember’s studio in 1993.  She has been painting in watercolor since 1980.

Pember’s watercolor paintings have been included in more than one-hundred-sixty-five national juried exhibitions, including those of the American Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain National and Watercolor USA and they have won numerous awards. Her work has been featured in more than thirty books and publications. It is widely exhibited and is represented in many public, corporate and private collections.

Pember’s book, “Painting Close-Focus Flowers in Watercolor” was released in 2000 and is almost sold out. It contains numerous step-by-step paintings created for the book. Her instructional video, “Vibrant Orchid; Painting in the Flow of Watercolor”, was released by Creative Catalyst Productions in 2004 and a second video, “Painting in the Flow of Watercolor on High Plate Illustration Board”, in 2006. A self published book, “Make Dynamic Paintings In Watercolor”, was released in PDF format on CD in 2008. She has been teaching painting workshops since 1988 and welcomes visits to her studio by appointment.

ARTIST STATEMENT

     The abstract patterns and shadows created by light have fascinated me since childhood. My paintings emphasize these effects and are created with luminous and vibrant color passages. I prefer to apply paints directly to the paper, allowing them to mingle there, rather than mixing them on my palette or glazing in layers. I paint on an easel with the board raised at an angle. Gravity enhances the movement of wet paint, producing glowing, fresh color passages.

     Living on the shore of Lake Champlain and tending my gardens provides me with an abundance of beautiful scenery and subjects. My watercolors include flowers, landscapes, still lifes and portraits, mostly inspired by nature and my home environment. I paint in an impressionistic style and often use a close-up point of view, which gives my work a slightly abstract quality. I often work in series as a means of fully exploring a subject.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

ACADEMIC ARTISTS ASSOCIATION

ALLIED ARTISTS OF AMERICA

AMERICAN ARTISTS PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE; FELLOW

AUDUBON ARTISTS

BALTIMORE WATERCOLOR SOCIETY, INC.

CATHARINE LORILLARD WOLFE ART CLUB

CENTRAL NEW YORK WATERCOLOR SOCIETY

KNICKERBOCKER ARTISTS USA

MISSISSIPPI WATERCOLOR SOCIETY

MISSOURI WATERCOLOR SOCIETY

MONTANA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ARTISTS, INC.

PENNSYLVANIA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY

PITTSBURGH WATERCOLOR SOCIETY; INVITED MEMBER

POTOMAC VALLEY WATERCOLOR SOCIETY; HONORARY MEMBER

ROCKY MOUNTAIN WATERMEDIA SOCIETY

WATERCOLOR SOCIETY OF ALABAMA

WATERCOLOR WEST

WESTERN COLORADO WATERCOLOR SOCIETY