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; of pastures, where cows happily munch on grasses, fields and farms. Ms. Watson has become skilled at recreating scenes, remembered from her childhood, in her beautiful oil paintings. They reflect her English ancestry, which dates back to King George. She describes one of the original homestead: a farm, that was primarily maintained by the women. Ann Marie learned about her early inspiration; 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”.

Ann Marie was introduced to artistic work early in life. As a child she learned delicate needle work. She began to learn from the work of artists she admired for their use of color. She has always been drawn to pretty things; the beauty of colors …. Art and even paint stores can become an environment that might offer inspiration for her work.

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 without being critical and is “happily surprised” when her work looks completely believable upon completion. She prefers oil over other types of mediums and celebrates when she’s put the paint on the canvas just right.

Ann Marie 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 her 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 at the desk for the Docent to show you the fine 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.