The Inter-Connected Contemporary Female Form with Anne Mei Poppe
Amsterdam-based artist Anne Mei Poppe lenses her work through an inter-connected contemporary female form. Elegantly blending vivid color, minimalistic beauty, organic shape and balanced composition through captured through the everyday life.
Hi Anne! Tell us a little about you, your life, and how you got to where you are today.
“I grew up in Amsterdam in a warm household and with a big, loud family, where I still live with my husband, two kids, two cats and a dog. Drawing and painting has always been my favorite activity from an early age. My mother studied Art History and always took me to museums, where she would tell me stories, while I was drawing everything I saw. I grew up with it, but I chose a different path. I studied Finance and after 6 years of working in consultancy and the asset management sector, I started selling my art quite unexpectedly. Currently I'm talking to a gallery that I’m very keen on, so hopefully I can tell you more about that soon.”
How do you feel the art world scene is in Amsterdam these days?
“Amsterdam has always been a creative and free city. What is really nice to see is that more and more female artists are gaining visibility. And when I think of it, the collaborations I've recently entered into and the artworks I've acquired all happen to be with and by female artists. There are more galleries and exhibitions focused on female creators and that’s a good and necessary development.”
As you're connecting the female body into your artwork, what are some of the things you think about while developing your painting?
“I work fairly intuitively, mainly with my use of color. When I start a new painting, I often have a certain composition or image in mind that reflects a certain emotion. The work gradually forms on canvas, applying many layers and making intermediate changes. The most important thing for me is that the work ultimately conveys the feeling of the story in question.
Next to that I try a lot of new things, by working outside of my comfort zone, making mistakes and learning from them. It’s a tough but fulfilling process, haha.”
You paint in different styles, one of which being monochromatic and minimalist while another is vivacious with vibrant amounts of color and texture– what is your favorite style, what do you think resonates most with you?
“I wouldn't necessarily say that I have many different styles, but rather a style that is constantly evolving. I started three years ago with fairly graphic and abstract work, that mainly focused on the connection between people. From there I started to develop my style and gradually started to add more colour, depth and context. The main theme of my work is still connection and the way our lives are intertwined, although my work has become less graphic and still is slightly abstract. I’m incredibly fond of color and I am drawn to making work which appeals to the imagination.”
What is at least one message you hope people receive from your work?
“That we are all loved.”
What are 3 things that inspire you.
“I am mainly inspired by things I have experienced and the relationships I have, but also by developments in society. If you are open to it, you can be inspired by everything you see, hear and do and process it all unconsciously on canvas.”
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
“The only thing I know is that I have this crazy drive to paint and create and to try new things and learn from mistakes. I think that will still be the case in 5 years’ time. And who knows where I will be and what I will create by then. That’s the beauty of it.”
