Since 1970, Ann James Massey has created images through twenty to forty layers of wax pencil. These intricate drawings won awards starting from her initial art competition in 1972 and have gone on to win numerous more in national and international competitions, as well as being reproduced in books and magazines (including The Artist Magazine, American Artist and International Artist).
In 1990, she found her long searched for painting technique at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore and in 1991 began complementing her precise drawings with equally detailed paintings that immediately followed the same award winning and recognition path as her drawings.
Moving to Europe in 1994 and living among the masters' works she has emulated, her focus sharpened. Her fascination with Europe's marriage of history and modernism became a primary factor in her subject matter with a juxtaposition of past and present. Always keeping in mind that premise, she moved more surely from recreating reality into creating composite scenarios that could be perceived as real. Now she is adding into that mix the element of homage for the influencing and precious factors in her life.
Despite the illusion of tight realism, Massey's work is drawn freehand and is not created through any mechanical or reproductive means. In most cases, it would be impossible to take a photograph to recreate her mature final compositions exactly, as she intentionally distorts reality (even perspective) to create a far more pleasing (and natural) composition, just as the Old Masters have done.
Among her awards for her drawings and paintings have been multiple ones in the exhibitions of The American Artists Professional League, The Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, The Allied Artists of America, The Society of Women Artists (UK), The UKCPS (UK), The Miniature Art Society of Florida, among others. She was also among the initial 34 artists selected for the Living Masters Gallery in 2003 for The Art Renewal Center. In addition her work has been included or featured in numerous books and magazines.
Her memberships include The American Artists Professional League (Fellow Maxima Cum Laude), Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Society of Women Artists (UK). She is a charter and signature member of The Colored Pencil Society of America and in The United Kingdom Colored Pencil Society where she also served as their first President, then Honorary President and consultant as well as being unusually awarded lifetime membership.
Massey also owned and operated two galleries: The Montwood Gallery in El Paso, Texas (1972 -1976) and Massey Fine Arts in Santa Teresa, New Mexico (1992 – 1994) where she created the first competition dedicated exclusively to colored pencil (Masters of Colored Pencil) and a national small works competition (Realism up Close). From 1975 - 1994 she taught private drawing lessons and from 1976 to the present she has given periodic workshops, private consultations, talks, lectures and judged competitions.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 14th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
