CONVERGENCE — New Work by Anna Carll

convergence noun

1 : the act of converging and especially moving toward union or uniformity

example: the convergence of the three rivers

synonyms: concurrence, connection, merging, concourse, crossroads

Urban Harbor #313

36 x 80 inches — MM on hollow-core door

SOLD—Private Collection

The Urban Series

“When I first conceived the Urban Series, I was thinking of the cycle of life in relation to my Mother’s diagnosis of dementia—the painful erosion of her mind and personality. When I pursued this line of inquiry, I saw a distinct correlation between what was happening to my Mother and how nature erodes our cities, towns or villages with acts of natural disaster. Through this lens I began to see that there could be many different but convergent collections within this series—each with their own characteristics and related in form and structure.”

Within the Urban Series all the colors, shapes, textures, lines and compositions converge to convey the same concept; the exploration of city life in conflict with nature. Carll designs and creates the majority of her collage material in Photoshop and then prints the images on acid free sketch paper. “I have a lot more control over the imagery and am able to create files that explore different images of our local infrastructure through a process of layering my photos with grunge textures that cause fracturing of the forms within—much like what nature does to our communities.” This process is unique to Carll’s background in graphic design and illustration—a way to merge all of her skills from her early career with her current multi-disciplined art practice.

Viewers of this work will discover all kinds of patterns made from utility wires, city grids, wallpaper patterns, monoprint designs, architectural elements and plant life. All of this imagery is merged with fine art & handmade papers layered in the form of collage as a dense construction of form and palette choices. Carll refers to this process as “painting with paper.” Anna Carll combines painting, collage and mixed media within a multi-disciplined art practice using her own vocabulary to create powerful visuals that embody her unique vision of the world.

Karen Hewitt Hagan and her team @ Hagan Fine Art present: CONVERGENCE — New Work by Anna Carll — on view through September 2023.

Event page @ Hagan Fine Art

Opening reception: Friday September 1st — 5-8pm (This will coincide with the CGA Artwalk in downtown Charleston, SC.).

Art talk with the artist: 7-8pm.

125 Church Street

Charleston, SC 29401

+1-843-901-8124

A Return to My Textural Roots

This new body of work is the culmination of where I am today as an artist combined with getting back to my roots. As a former graphic designer, I use this training and experience to craft my discipline of book arts. Since I self-publish this work, I end up with a lot of printer proofs that I save and use as the base elements that begin the Urban Botanicals. I also embed city-block map grids into the base art using different types of twine that are either left in place or cut away as the piece evolves. This is a very laborious process that builds up many layers of recycled materials along with various types of mixed media creating a very healthy amount of visual chaos. 

Using additive and subtractive methods, I begin the reduction process by pruning and simplifying the composition keeping the areas of texture that excite me. It does not matter that much, if not all, of the photos and printer proofs are buried under layers of paint and mixed media. It is the presence and energy of these elements that enrich the surface and add to the history of the piece. I see this work as archaeological in nature — similar to the way that civilizations are built on top of each other. Through this direction in the Elemental Series, I am forging a new footprint that is leading me to a path of both discovery and coming home.

The Urban Botanicals will be on view this Friday evening, April 7th, 5:30-8:30pm at the April First Friday Show Opening @ Area 61 Gallery — 61 East Main Street, Southside, Chattanooga.