Mural by Anna Charney in Denver

Anna received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago in December 2015 with a focus in Painting and Drawing. She is currently living and working in her hometown of Denver, Colorado. Through the use of graphic patterning, dense detail, and expansive compositions, I create a sensational and retinal experience for the viewer of my paintings. I am interested in optical art and systems of illusions. Each painting consists of many flowing and bending forms, which are primarily made up of enlarged halftone and ben-day dot patterns. I reference printmaking in my use of these patterns, which help to create the illusion of a printed image on a micro scale. By enlarging these patterns and using the dots and shapes themselves, I am layering multiple illusions within each painting. Along with these literal illusions, I integrate other forms of visual perception to delve the viewer into an imagined depth and space. I use line and repetitive shapes to create speed and manipulate the eye of the viewer, hoping that the dynamic arrangements of detail and corresponding visual rhythms will create an immersive experience. I’ve learned in my studies of optics how the eye responds more actively to high contrast, graphic patterning, which in my work remains in the black and white value scale. The use of negative space allows my shapes and forms to become unbounded.