Anna Magruder
Book of Poems, oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in.
Delicate & Blossoming, oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in.
Father and Child, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 in.
Alexandria, oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in.
Amphibious, oil on canvas, 16 x 16 in.
Curiosity & Compassion, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 in.
Islets, oil on canvas, 20 x 16 in.
Big Wheel, oil on canvas, 12 x 16 in.
About Anna Magruder
In Portland, creating art. No place I’d rather be, but it took me a while to figure that out. I was born in Dallas, Texas and spent my early years in various parts of the desert southwest before settling in Allen, Texas, where I completed my primary education. After high school, I headed off to college at the University of North Texas to major in graphic design with a minor in philosophy, taking a detour to explore life in Los Angeles and Palo Alto. After graduating from college, I traveled and worked as a graphic designer, moving from Texas to Colorado and eventually migrating North to Portland where I opened my own graphic design business in 2005.
In 2009, I decided to take a leap of faith and leave the routine and security of my design business to focus on what’s become my passion—oil painting and illustration. My favorite subjects are people and animals and whatever lies between. Drifting between realism and surrealism, I love recreating vintage America, reimagining the lives and stories of strong women, capturing the dormant kookiness or sweet serenity of a local cat, or just exploring the emotional color of faces in the crowd.
For me, art is as much about building community as it is about process and refining technique. I take every opportunity I can to get out and see what others are doing at art openings, local festivals, craft shows and galleries. And I try to do my part to build community, whether by hosting a small artists group, attending other groups or helping organize and promote craft shows. I also love thrift stores and everything vintage, hanging with my cats Sesame and Juneau, and listening to my husband talk on and on about all things cycling.
Anna Magruder on Artsy Forager
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