Anna Bellinger. UK. 1969.

 

My work is an ongoing exploration of our disconnection/connection with the natural world. Those explorations are driven by my immediate surroundings and consequently the materials and approach can vary. I currently live among umbrella pines in a semi-rural coastal area of Andalucía that is becoming increasingly urbanised. Using acrylics and earth pigment, I am exploring the similarities between the arboreal shapes of the stone pines and the human form - in this way working towards a kind of 'distorted figuration' that produces familiar but at the same time ambiguous images. 

Previously living in a more urban area, projects employed photography - 'Underfoot' - a result of several years-worth of photographs taken of the daily detritus discarded in our streets, parks, beaches and pathways, and found objects - 'Anthropocene' was an installation of collected marine plastic curated and presented as museum exhibits.

My work is influenced both by my degree studies in Textile Design - the fundamental elements of colour, pattern and repetition feature heavily, and by my childhood growing up in the countryside of southeast England - a childhood in which I was encouraged to observe, respect and appreciate nature. 

Having worked for many years in the textile industry as a designer and colourist, I eventually became frustrated at the creative constraints of the commercial textile industry. On moving to the province of Cádiz in 2006 my passion for colour and light, and the natural world was re-ignited, opening up opportunities to make art in a more emotional, organic, and less prescriptive way and in a variety of mediums. 

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If you'd like to know more, this interview with ELT Footprint's Daniel Barber goes a bit deeper into my motivations and process.

https://eltfootprint.org/interview-with-anna-bellinger/

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