Melbourne based geometric artist Anna Cole
Hello Anna, who are you?
Hello, My name is Anna Cole and i am an artist based in Melbourne, Australia.
What made you decide to pursue art?
I started painting about 10 years ago and was recruited to an agency nearby, 4 years ago. I started painting to help with my severe depression and anxiety and had no idea how far it could take me, till now. The flow of the paint against a canvas released my tension and anxiousness and I suddenly felt this immense euphoria. Its also a wonderful feeling knowing that i have created the right path in life and not fallen down a rabbit hole. Art is life for me (oh, and my family).
So what are your plans right now?
I see myself on the right path, as i mentioned before. I have just started working on murals and hope to do more in the future. Also creating colourful art for people’s homes to make my clients happy on a daily basis, because colour is everything.
What’s your definition of your art?
I would define my art as contemporary geometric with a twist. What i like about it is that i don’t use tape, its all freehand. I also like that its colourful, and it engages peoples attention to colour. Not everything has to be black and white. Adding colour creates engagement to any space like this. Hard edge and geometric abstraction. My work uses hard edges but also conforms to geometric abstraction by adding circles and different lines throughout my work.
Are you working full time on your art?
I am a full time artist. I was working a full time job then coming home and painting commissions and for my representations site plus trying to parent. It all became so tiring, so i left my job and with the help of my partner we worked out a way we could survive on my art wage and his wage. I won’t lie: We have good and bad months but i don’t think we would change that for the world.
What advice can you give to other artists based on your experience?
Keep on going, don’t stop because you don’t like what you’ve created. If painting/creating makes you happy do not let one mistake drag you down. Lift yourself up a try again. There is a silver lining in everything.
What feedback did you get from customers, collectors or galleries?
I have had a lot of positive feedback about my work via (online) group exhibitions. And my lovely clients have only ever had wonderful things to say about my work. My last (and first) large scale commission client said “this is what you should be doing”.
Your ideal work environment?
Loud upbeat music and a clean studio. I hate mess.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by the artists i work with, like Madeleine Stamer, Leah Bartholemew, Kate Jansen, Kate Jarmen, David Bromley and Lauren Wagner for her colour palette inspirations, super abstract. Natsu Ogata, Bec Smith And the infamous Josef Albers, Van Gogh, Leonardo Da Vinci, Henri Matisse, Picasso, Monet, Jackson Pollock, David Hockney.
What would be an interesting project?
A Huge large scale mural for a company overseas.
Looking back on your career, would you do anything differently today?
I don’t think i would do anything different to be honest. I have worked hard to get here and if i had to start all over i would do exactly the same thing.
How do you motivate yourself?
At night i always set my goal for myself out loud. I also need coffee first and i drink a bottle of water. It is that simple, because i love what i do so much.
Have you worked already for brands?
I have collaborated with Journey of Something to create ‘Sparkle Art Kits’ and ‘Consequence of Change’ for a line of bags with my work on them. I have also worked with an Australian skin care brand for an art series for hand wash and hand cream.
What about exhibitions in art galleries?
Not as yet, i haven’t, but i do hope to in the near future. Covid has been hard in Melbourne as we have had 6 lockdowns and pretty much lost a good two years in time.
What are you focusing on for the near future?
I do plan to focus on murals. In the new year i will be working on a website and focusing my time on that and also instagram to get my name out there.
Closing words
I am going to choose my future plans. I plan to release a line of works that coexist with each other. At the moment i have a painting called ‘Links #1’ so i will be focusing on that line but also keeping the geometric side hustle going.
Thank you very much, Anna!
Anna Cole ★ Artist resume
My artistic career took off like a rocket taking off from cape Canaveral. Its been harder since then but my resume reads like any other artists, you have good months and bad months but we keep on going. The title of my resume would be Anna Cole artist specialising in geometric hard edge art. Using lines and precision i love to explore shapes and patterns from the everyday objects and surroundings.
Instagram: @annacoleartist
