Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Sweet.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I grew up in the attic of an antique store. My mom was a painter and bought and sold antiques to help raise her 9 children. At the age of 15 I decided painting took too long and I wasn’t able to capture things exactly how I saw them so I turned to photography. I traveled to NYC and applied at the School of Visual Arts after obsessing over photography for the previous two years in high school. I was accepted and moved to NY to follow my dreams. After a year in art school I quickly came to the realization that I couldn’t afford another year. I began interviewing for internships and for the next few years, bounced around working for various photographers while balancing waitressing and bartending gigs. I met a famous musician and after a few years of dating, I moved to London to be with him full time. While in London I got to intern for my biggest influencer, fashion photographer Rankin. Although my internship consisted of anything but learning photography.
I was assigned to his kitchen where all the other interns had to sweat out how bad they wanted the job. I worked alongside the chef and many other interns preparing 4 meals a day for the crew and whichever celebrity the studio was shooting that day. After a few months of 12-hour days slaving over a hot stove I decided if I worked half as hard on my own work as I was for this studio, I would be on my way in no time. I quit Rankins studio and started trying to develop a series out of some underwater images I had shot a year or so prior. I began experimenting with resin from a body shop, different materials such as mica and glass, as well as acrylic paints I had become so familiar with growing up beside a mother who restored classic artworks for a living. After a few months I had my first 5 images and I applied for a London street arts festival. I displayed my works and sold one painting for 300 pounds. This gave me the motivation I needed to begin approaching galleries.
When I returned to the US I lived in Fort Lauderdale near my parents and approached my first gallery on Los Olas called New River Fine Art. My mother had a relationship with this gallery for years and was able to get me an interview. They were intrigued by my photography being it was presented in a way they had never seen before. With depth. Minerals, textures, paintings, and resin all coincided to bring each image to life. They had a show for me as an emerging artist and we sold out. I continued learning and growing my collection, expanding to new galleries from New York to Hawaii. After 5 years of being carried in galleries across the country I decided to open my own flagship Gallery in Key West Florida in 2017. The gallery is just about a year old and I am continuing to grow my brand and my work by traveling and capturing new and exciting images to share with the world.
Please tell us about your art.
My inspiration was always fashion. I picked up every fashion magazine I could get my hands on. I would spend afternoons in Barnes and Nobles flipping through the oversized pages of Cavali ads and fashion spreads. I would bring what I could home and plaster my walls with these striking images of men and women wearing the latest fabrics and trends. These ads evoked emotion and passion out of me and I thought it was such an incredibly powerful thing that a piece of paper could do that. I went on to study commercial photography and work for fashion photographers in NYC. Meanwhile my Mother was married to an airline pilot that allowed me to travel to exotic places. I would photograph my friends amongst the majestic landscapes and pristine waters consistently trying to recreate the power I was so often moved by.
As I began working with the imagery I had captured, I realized I needed to manipulate the images to reflect the same emotions I felt while shooting. This meant adding my own elements to the images such as paintings and surface textures. I currently embed semi-precious materials such as crystals, minerals, glow in the dark pigment, and glass into resin bringing each piece to life. When people view my work, I want them to reach out and touch it. I hope each of my pieces inspires the viewer to see the world as if for the first time. To be reminded amongst all the sorrow, this world truly is a beautiful place if you choose to see it that way.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
You don’t need to pay for art school. You either have the passion to create or you don’t. Don’t be afraid to make money with your work. This is the only way most people can justify doing what they love on a daily basis.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
My work is currently on display in my flagship gallery
Anna Sweet Gallery in Key West, Florida.
As well as:
New River Fine Art, Ft. Lauderdale FL
Angela King Gallery, New Orleans LA
Wys Gallery, Oahu HI
Contact Info:
- Address: 513 Duval St Key West Fl 33040
- Website: annasweet.com
- Phone: 3059160578
- Email: anna@annasweet.com
- Instagram: @iamannasweet
- Facebook: facebook.com/annasweetgallery
Image Credit:
Anna Sweet
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