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 reside on the shore of Lake Champlain , where they built Pember’s studio in 1993.  She has been painting in watercolor since 1980.

Pember’s light filled paintings have been included in more than one-hundred-fifty 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 twenty 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.

The artist is a signature member of American Artists Professional League, (Fellow), Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, National Association of Women Artists, Audubon Artists, Knickerbocker Artists, USA , Missouri Watercolor Society, Mississippi Watercolor Society, Montana Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain National, Watercolor West and many other regional societies.

She has been teaching painting workshops since 1988. The artist 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

Potomac Valley Watercolor Society, Honorary

Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Society

Academic Artists Association

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

Watercolor Society of Alabama

Watercolor West

Western Colorado Watercolor Society