Ann Marie Watson - Beautiful Art Becomes a Happy Surprise to Viewers

By: Karen L McCarty

I’m pleased to feature Ann Marie Watson on this Artist Spotlight Blog post.

Ann Marie Watson grew up in the country. Her paintings reflect agricultural scenes from her memory, as a chlld; of pastures, where cows happily munch on grasses, fields and farms. Ms. Watson has become skilled at recreating these scenes in her beautiful oil paintings. They reflect her English ancestry, which dates back to King George. One of the original homesteads was Winsborough Farm, which, she tells me, was maintained mostly by the women. Ann Marie told me of one of her early inspirations; her Great Aunt Bessie, who preserved life on the farm, utilizing her artistic skills with a camera as early as 1910. She pays Aunt Bessie tribute with her Facebook name of “Aunt Bessie and Me Originals”.

Ms. Watson has always been drawn to pretty things; the beauty of colors …. Art stores can become a colorful adventure. Even a paint store might offer inspiration for her work.

Ann Marie was introduced to artistic work early in life. As a child she learned delicate needle work. She began early in life to learn from the work of artists she admired for their use of color. She describes herself as timid when it comes to art. Even though she may feel the stress of being a perfectionist, once she is committed to start a painting, she pushes herself trying not to be critical and is “happily surprised” when her work looks completely believable upon completion. Ann Marie prefers oil over other types of mediums and celebrates when she’s put the paint on the canvas just right.

Ann Marie Watson attended Central Carolina Technical College and became a registered nurse in 1994. She went on to obtain her baccalaureate degree of nursing at USC Columbia 1996. In 2002 she graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine with a masters degree in Biomedical Science with an emphasis on Nurse Anesthesia. Ms. Watson has worked as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist ever since. She honed her artistic skills by taking classes at art galleries, learning from other artists such as Melina, an art major at Bob Jones University and JJ Oklinger, a local artist here in Greenville.

It seems, to this author, that Ms. Watson has harnessed that perfectionism to become the fine artist she is today. I strongly suggest making time to stop by the White Rabbit Fine Art Gallery in Travelers Rest. Ask our Docent to show you the fine art work of Ann Marie Watson. We truly appreciate her talent and I’m certain you will as well

You can see more of Ann Marie Watson’s art on Facebook under “Aunt Bessie and me originals” and on instagram.