| My name is Anne Faith Nicholls. I am a 27 year-old artist living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area. I call myself an artist for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that I make a living from the things I create. This is both amazing and freeing. It is also horribly frustrating and stressful. The second reason is that the title "artist" seems somehow to explain or excuse my often idiosyncratic behavior—my huge ego, my crippling self consciousness, my awe of all that is around me, my restlessness, my eternal search for inspiration, my collection of knick knacks and antiques—all of these on again, off again obsessions and emotions inform my work. |  |
Collect My Thoughts – Anne Faith Nicholls
My name is Anne Faith Nicholls. I am a 27 year-old artist living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area. I call myself an artist for two reasons. The first and most obvious is that I make a living from the things I create. This is both amazing and freeing. It is also horribly frustrating and stressful. The second reason is that the title "artist" seems somehow to explain or excuse my often idiosyncratic behavior—my huge ego, my crippling self consciousness, my awe of all that is around me, my restlessness, my eternal search for inspiration, my collection of knick knacks and antiques—all of these on again, off again obsessions and emotions inform my work.
I am flawed and imperfect, as is my work, which, conveniently, is how I like it.
So, as a person who happens to be an artist, I think that I definitely have something to say. But, I know I don’t necessarily want to say it out loud, which is why I paint. As a result, most of my paintings are intentionally (or unintentionally) autobiographical. I say what I want through recurring symbols and themes that show up in my work. My next big body of work comes from this idea. “Collect My Thoughts,” my 2006 solo exhibition (at The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco) will be a highly personal look at my creative process and sources of inspiration through painting, installation and my own personal collection.
Another huge source of inspiration for me is my journey in becoming an artist. I grew up as an only child with a severe heart defect in the Northwest, and was raised by a single parent. As a child, creativity and making art was perfect (if not necessary) because it was a solitary activity that kept me occupied and held my attention. I started really getting into art in college when I found out that I could pay for my books with paintings that I sold. Moving to California in 2000 to attend the Academy of Art University was a risky, yet pivotal change in my life. San Francisco—its architecture, antiques, music, scenes, galleries and diversity—were all new and overwhelming.
After a hard year of adjustment, I found my niche in a small but growing underground art scene that is sometimes referred to as "Low Brow" or "Pop Surrealism," and I was hooked. I started exhibiting works in group shows and solo exhibitions around the country and, much to my surprise, people seemed to like my stuff. I can’t explain the feeling that comes from creating a piece of work that is so personal, but that someone else can relate to in an entirely different way.
I love eavesdropping and overhearing the things that people speculate about my work at my openings. Some people like my work, some people hate it (I could go either way on some days too). But, in the end, I hope my paintings have a personal meaning that is different for everyone.
Anne Faith Nicholls’ currently exhibits her work in galleries and publications around the country. Her new work can be viewed at her upcoming 2006 solo exhibition "Collect My Thoughts" at the Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, CA starting December 2nd. For more information and acquisition inquires, visit www.annefaithnicholls.com.
