Anya Simmons

I was born in 1969 in Uganda and moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 1972. Living in Africa for the first fourteen years of my life and then moving to the UK has had a profound impact on the diversity of my work and where many of my creative ideas have emerged.

I studied a BEd teaching degree with art and design and enjoyed a successful career as a primary school teacher for many years, before going on to pursue my passion and love for art. My first solo exhibition was held at Walton village, in 2005, and I was overwhelmed by the response.This encouraged me to continue developing my own expressive and individual style and I have enjoyed exhibiting in various galleries throughout the UK, holding regular events and exhibitions throughout the year.

My more recent works are profoundly influenced by beautiful coastal landscapes, quirky harbours and the ever changing countryside of Great Britain. I enjoy working with various mediums creating an exciting blend of textures, shapes

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I was born in 1969 in Uganda and moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 1972. Living in Africa for the first fourteen years of my life and then moving to the UK has had a profound impact on the diversity of my work and where many of my creative ideas have emerged.

I studied a BEd teaching degree with art and design and enjoyed a successful career as a primary school teacher for many years, before going on to pursue my passion and love for art. My first solo exhibition was held at Walton village, in 2005, and I was overwhelmed by the response.This encouraged me to continue developing my own expressive and individual style and I have enjoyed exhibiting in various galleries throughout the UK, holding regular events and exhibitions throughout the year.

My more recent works are profoundly influenced by beautiful coastal landscapes, quirky harbours and the ever changing countryside of Great Britain. I enjoy working with various mediums creating an exciting blend of textures, shapes and vibrant colours; whilst continually experimenting with the effects that can be created using gesso, acrylic, acrylic inks and a variety of mark making materials. I love the depth of colour, movement and versatility that can be achieved using these elements

Often, I will imagine a scene and decide how I want certain colours to flow together to create a particular atmosphere. I get enormous pleasure from examining the form, colours, light and textures within our diverse landscape and am continually striving to capture this.

I will often take pictures of rolling fields, flowers, cliffs, mountains, headlands, buildings (i.e. cottages, beach huts, castles etc), seascapes and the ever-changing sky and take inspiration from the magical beauty of the natural world around us.

Within my paintings, I strive to give my audience the romance or memory of a scene/landscape which is recognised as real but does not always have a physical location-almost like a landscape within a dream. I seek to tap into a positive nostalgic memory.

As an exhibiting artist online my artwork is reproduced as open and limited-edition prints.

Anya Simmons