Can you tell me a little bit about you?
I am a 70 yr old, UK based painter. Been working all my life within the traditional art world and am now really interested in what the online platforms have to offer.
When did you first discover art, or realize you wanted to make it yourself?
I was born into an artists family.
What do you like most about working where you do?
I have a studio in my house in London which has meant I have been able to work every day even when my children were small.
What ideas are you exploring in your practice?
Not a theme but I belong to a growing number of older women artists whose work has blossomed when children and husbands leave home! Finally having the time to explore everything one has put on hold for so long.
What is your process like?
Looking at other artists is key to everything for me. And photographs and images of all kinds. A painting can take weeks or years. I might put something away, which is proving difficult, and come back to it ages later. It’s very rare I work on more than one painting at once. I don’t work to themes but might repeat a subject if I don’t feel I have finished with it.
Is there any subject or theme you’ve been particularly interested in lately?
All inspiration is from other artists but more interesting is how one painting leads to another, how surprised I can be by what appears and then where it leads.
Do you have a day job or other work that you split your time between?
I don’t have a day job but I do graphic work for the London Review of Books which is a discipline I love.
Do you have a mentor, or a piece of advice (or both), which has influenced your practice?
Work every day.
Is there any piece of advice you would offer to others?
Work every day.
What does it mean to you to have a “community?”
I don’t have a sense of community. Being an artist is a solitary business which has been my experience.
What is your studio like?
Complete chaos.
Do you have any routines or rituals in the studio that get you into the mode or mindset to make your work?
I have a rigid routine. Get up, walk in the park, household stuff, email etc. Start work 11ish. Work right through listening to music, podcasts, books, until evening with an afternoon sleep. Every day.
How significant has attending art school been on your practice?
I dropped out of Art School.
What do you find most daunting, challenging, or frustrating about pursuing art?
It is very, very hard work.
Being a painter means largely being ignored in the UK. We don’t have a critic like Jerry Saltz who will bother to write up contemporary painters. We read about dead painters every week in our broadsheets. You may get lucky just now, if you are very old and female (Rose Wylie, Phyllida Barlow, Rose Hilton, etc.) but on the whole don’t hold your breath.
How would you define “success” in art?
I’m not sure. I sell very well but that doesn’t compare to the feeling of a painting coming right. No success can feel like that.
But of course a measure of success is defined by others’ appreciation.
What is the most exciting thing you’ve done or accomplished so far, related to your work?
The arrival of a beautifully produced catalogue for your solo show is up there.
What are you working on right now?
My next show.
Find more at annerothenstein.co.uk and on Instagram @annerothenstein!
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