Distinctly Montana Magazine

w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 41 MONTANA PLAYS A STARRING ROLE IN MANY OF YOUR PAINTINGS. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW MONTANA HAS INFLUENCED AND INSPIRED YOUR WORK? Our family first visited west in 1989. We thought the trip would be a one-time thing. Little did we know how Montana would invade our souls (I have the only thirty something kids who have never visited Disney, choosing instead Montana for our family vacations). Thirty-plus years of Montana experiences have cemented our family to the northern Rock- ies. We have owned a home in Montana since 1993. While I was in veterinary practice and working long, hard hours, my carrot was always Montana. Finally, my husband and I retired here full-time following kids and grandkids. No other locale, no other scenery has spoken to me or inspired me as much as the ubiq- uitous beauty of Montana. Fall is my favorite time, but I love painting the mountains, streams and vegetation during every season. My heart and soul belong in Montana. PLEASE WALK US THROUGH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS, FROM INSPIRATION TO APPROACHING THE BLANK CANVAS TO COMPLETION. I look for paintings everywhere. I see something interesting and try to imagine how I could make a painting from that I see. I approach every painting from one of two as- pects… are there interesting patterns of light and dark, or is there an interesting mood associated with this scene? The former usually makes for great painting fun. The latter can be challenging to establish the mood yet convey a sense of realism. I look for the presence of back, middle and foregrounds. I simplify for 3-5 value mass- es, sometimes with thumbnail sketches, but sometimes in my mind. To define perspec- tive, I locate eye level, then block in each mass in the appropriate value and color in silhouette. Sometimes, I start with middle values, sometimes darks, especially shadows. MEMBERSHIPS Oil Painters of America Women Artists of the West Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Association Chesapeake Plein Air Painters Cider Painters of America Miniature Society Southwest Montana Artists Outdoor Painters Society, Associate NOAPS – National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society, Associate EVENTS Harford County Plein Air, 2016 Burgwin-Wright House Plein Air, 2016 People's Choice Award Camp Hill Plein Air, 2015 Solo exhibition, Main Street Gallery, 2015 Solo exhibition, Frame of Mine, 2014 Maryland Ducks Unlimited Artist, 2014 Dorchester Center for the Arts, 2010, People's Choice Award CONTACT INFORMATION Annie McCoy Art PO Box 161935 Big Sky, MT 59716 (410) 463-0645 animldoc@comcast.net www.anniemccoy.com ALMOST READY DADDY'S WHEATFIELD MEADOW WHERE WE FISH WHITE OAK CANYON TRAIL

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