"By adopting 17th and 18th-century American folk motifs, Seattle-based Anne Siems' portraits and still lifes emit a haunting awkwardness. With rosy cheeks, haunted gaze and flattened features, Siems' highly stylized figures inhabit a dreamy colonial landscape. As the world itself seems frozen in time, the transparent figures float in the foreground, forever youthful and mysterious. The delicate patterning found in traditional embroidery is the main element used to define their clothing. A thick application of paing, at times intentionally crackled to create the effect of an aged surface, emphasizes folk painting and faux antiquity. Siems' paintings 'borrow backwards' with a refreshing whimsy and off kilter grace, participating in the currect revival of 'old, weird America.' "

In 1991 I moved from Berlin, Germany to Seattle after finishing my MFA at the Hochschule der Kunste Berlin. While in Berlin I had a large studio and worked on large –scale, room filling drawings of semi-abstract organic shapes. In Seattle, I had a small desk and a little bit of wall space. I started working on waxed found paper (mostly newsprint and paper bags) using pen, ink and acrylic paint. The imagery became more precise. Multiple delicate images overlapped in a sketch like manner, with usually one large central form dominating the final composition.

At present, I continue with my interest in the human figure and the attributes that surround it. These attributes reflect something about the being without giving a specific narrative. Ideas about life and death, sensuality, sexuality, nature, experiences in the realm of dreams, psyche and spirit are my ongoing topic. A lot of inspiration for these pieces stem from my ongoing love for the art of the European Masters, Early American Folk Art, as well as vintage and modern photography.

web site: www.annesiems.com