IMARA  Charity    ART AUCTION

Annie Soudain was born in Kent (near Dover), spent her early years in Cornwall (Truro), and studied art in Canterbury and Brighton. A retired art teacher (both school and adult) and living for several years on boats in England and France, she now lives in Hastings in East Sussex, concentrating on her own work as an artist. Annie uses a variety of media, but her main focus currently is on linoprinting. 

Much of her recent work with lino employs the reduction method, which involves progressively cutting, inking up, and printing from the same block. Since this method is labour-intensive, her prints are only available in small editions (25 usually). She also creates wax-resist paintings on silk, in which the same method of building colours from light to dark applies. Vigorous composition is a key feature of her artwork, with images often depicting plants, birds, and landscapes.  

All her work is very obviously a celebration of nature, and her deep enjoyment and understanding of form and pattern help us to see the natural world more clearly. Much of her work features landscapes from Fairlight, Pett Level, Rye Harbour and Romney Marsh. 

 

“My interest in plants started in my early years spent in Truro in Cornwall, where I went on long walks with my mother and older sister along a disused railway track where the steep banks were undisturbed and full of flowers and insects, my mother would encourage us to look closely. 

Another favourite walk was to a series of water meadows, the shallow stream covered in rafts of floating plants and shoals of tiny minnows would appear for a moment and disappear in a flash of silver. Two parks were also included in our regular outings.” 

 

Annie Soudain was awarded the “Great Art” Prize at the Society of Botanical Artists’ 2013 show. In addition to belonging to the Society of Botanical Artists, she is a member of the Sussex Guild and the Rye Society of Artists, with both of which she exhibits regularly alongside Hastings group Arts Forum and at local galleries.  

Annie has work in private collections in Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. Annie has also been commissioned to create work for the Saga Rose cruise ship and The National Trust. 

Imara is delighted to be auctioning a smartly framed, limited edition print from an original gouache painting by Annie Soudain.