Meet Annie Strack, this week’s top American Watercolor Weekly Ambassador!
When I saw these inflatables tied up at the dock, I was immediately drawn to the natural composition they created. The palette is simple, with just a little bit of red to draw the eye.
A native of Naples, Florida, Annie Strack is a classically trained professional artist whose formal art school training included advanced studies of numerous artistic mediums. Although she is best known as a Modern Master of maritime painting, she is also an experienced expert in many other mediums, subjects, and styles. As a commercial artist, her designs have been used by hotels, restaurants, retailers, and other businesses for decades. An experienced drafter, she has created architectural renderings for dozens of architects and contractors and her renderings have been featured in numerous publications.
People often dress up their boats for parades or holidays, and I liked how this tug was decorated for a Fourth of July celebration at the waterfront. The bold bright colors pop against the subdued tones of the dirty river and sky, making an industrial subject like a tug appear more beautiful.
Her paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, and have been featured in over 20 solo shows. She exhibits in a multitude of national and international juried shows and her artwork has won hundreds of major awards and grants.
There are so many varieties of seagulls and shorebirds that I can never grow tired of painting them. As with any animal, the different postures and facial expressions can create unlimited possibilities for an artist.
Strack’s work has been published in several prominent magazines including The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Magazine, The Crafts Report, Wooden Boat International, Country Roads, Gallery Insider, House & Home, Louisiana Life, Gulf Coast Arts & Entertainment Review, Louisiana Homes & Gardens, Fig, County Lines, and Covington Magazine, and she has been featured in dozens of newspaper and television interviews. Her paintings have graced the covers of Art Calendar Magazine, Harmon Homes Magazine, Inside Northside Magazine, and Northlake News Magazine.
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She’s the author of The Artists Guide to Business & Marketing, and since 2005 she’s been a feature writer and contributing editor for Professional Artist Magazine. She is the producer and host of Painting Seascapes in Watercolor, which is broadcast on television stations worldwide and also available on DVD.
Strack earned Signature Membership in the International Society of Marine Painters, International Plein Air Painters, and many other international and national societies, and she holds the honor of being an Official Authorized Artist for the US Coast Guard. She has served on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations and she has chaired a countless number of juried shows, plein air events, workshops, programs, and fundraising. She currently serves on the Boards of the American Artists Professional League, the Baltimore Watercolor Society, Plein Air Brandywine Valley, and as the Social Media manager for the Louisiana Watercolor Society.
She is an expert in the uses and properties of artist materials, and she often works with artist supply companies to test and review new products. Her knowledge and expertise makes her in demand as a demonstrator for artist organizations and arts supply stores.
Her paintings, prints, & posters are in over 1,000 public and private collections worldwide, including: USCG, Navy, Senate, Pentagon, Veterans Administration, Fredonia Museum, Zigler Museum, Lake Pontchartrain Maritime Museum, Jefferson Parish Courthouse, St. Tammany Parish Public Art Collection, and many more. She travels around the world to teach workshops, jury exhibits, and paint en plein air, and in between her busy travels she can be found in her studio near Philadelphia. She endeavors to dip her toes in an ocean at least once a month.
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