BIOGRAPHY

A self-taught artist, Anne-Marie Harvey spent her first 23 years as an artist exploring and painting in oils the wilds of northern British Columbia and the Yukon. She and her artist husband raised their three children in a land accessible only by bush plane. The dynamic landscape and transformational quality of light in the far north were her teachers.

In 1984, Anne-Marie left her beloved northern mountains for a new life on the west coast. Here she was introduced to watercolours, a challenge even more elusive than northern light! Anne-Marie loved this defiant and delightful medium and with mastery came success and security, along with dozens of shows, both solo and group. Watercolours led to acrylic, and finally mixed media. Only recently, to keep her paints wet while pleinair painting, Anne-Marie picked up her oil paints again, re-kindling an old love affair. She now delights in painting her world in an old medium but using new and freer techniques to express her love for the Okanagan.

Anne-Marie’s ability to paint people as well as landscapes won her success in the competition for cover artist and illustrator for the Advocate, the law magazine for B.C. Each issue features a notable and interesting person in the field of law. With one short interview, Anne-Marie created for the cover a light-hearted portrait, which accurately captured the spirit of this person. This work earned for her a spot as finalist for best illustrator at the Western Magazine Awards in 2003.

Anne-Marie teaches part time for the Federation of Canadian Artists, but mostly she paints, and works steadily towards expressing her great passion for simplicity, clarity and colour.

In 2006 Anne-Marie and her husband Chris purchased a small piece of land on the Naramata Bench in the Okanagan. They put in some Riesling grapes and built a splendid home and a bright new studio. Recently Anne-Marie has been learning singing and songwriting which has been her lifelong dream. She is finding it exhilarating to express her love for life in words and music as well as well as in paint.

Artist Statement

“In my heart, I am a storyteller and songwriter disguised as a plein-air painter. I love painting people in their everyday interactions with Mother Nature. With big brushes and many colours, I seek to capture the grandeur of the ordinary. As a self-taught artist, I have been earning my livelihood through painting since the early 1960’s. I am thrilled and honoured to be chosen as the Meadowlark Festival Artist. When it comes to subjects to paint, the meadowlark is perfectly inspiring to me in both its colour and
voice!”