Annette Hammer

My objective is to capture the essence of the moment, the beauty of the surrounding world, that may be fleeting and not otherwise noticed, scenes that change as we interact with our environment. To have someone say they feel they are there, that they could walk right into a painting of mine, is the highest compliment I could receive.My style is impressionistic, expressionistic, classic landscape with a twist. My work contains undercurrents dealing with common challenges often beyond our control that we learn to adapt to, live with, or change. How we deal with challenge defines how we perceive our lives and our place in the world. My titles often give clues to the underlying thoughts IŠ—Ève intended. I deal with issues of uncertainty, the ending of one goal and heading in a new direction. I believe paths chosen make all the difference. I deliver a message that loss, tears, reconciliation to the loss, and still realizing the beauty of opportunities abounding are part of lifeŠ—Ès path. The underlying issues expressed in my paintings strike a responsive cord in those who buy my work.Each painting starts out with many abstract, impressionistic elements. I start with an orange underlayment, then build upon that. The whole canvas is covered with paint from the beginning, with a first balancing of shapes and values. Then layers of color are applied, some transparently, some opaquely. I strive for the essence of feeling when I first viewed the scene, not necessarily an exact representation. As more and more layers are added, the painting is pushed to a more representational feel but does not lose the impressionistic underlay.