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Virtual Artist Talks are streamed through YouTube Live. This event is free but registration is required. Magnusson will discuss topics related to her work, including but not limited to, process, inspiration, career, and trajectory.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Painter Ann Magnusson renders portraits that capture her subject’s personalities. Meaningful expressions, genuine smiles, and active postures result in authentic portrayals. Magnusson gravitates to the stories people share, their history, and information from their everyday and treasured objects. From such investigation stems companion pieces revealing their personal space. By focusing on details and examining what people display, Magnusson builds their story. Magnusson explains, “My work explores our sense of aesthetics—how age, gender, occupation, culture, and economics influence where we live, how we live, what we collect and value, and how we choose to incorporate our ‘stuff of life’ into our surroundings.” Magnusson started creating portraits with companion paintings in 2013. Prior to then, her focus was on space alone, depicting the architecture of a place as well as the feelings people create in their private places. Today, Magnusson illustrates how people foster connections to their environment and how this connectivity shows people’s similarities. In her Duluth series, viewers will find four portraits of current and former northern Minnesota residents, from a silversmith to a retired accountant. Companion portraits examine their interior studio spaces and living rooms as well as one artist’s exterior building.
