Awareness: Anna Weyant

Anna Weyant is a contemporary painter, born in 1995 in Calgary Canada, who achieved great success even before her thirtieth birthday. Weyant attended the Rhode Island School of Design and graduated in 2017 before attending the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou for seven months. Before becoming an acclaimed painter all on her own, she served as studio assistant for Cynthia Talmadge. Just six years after graduation, Forbes nominated Weyant to the "Forbes 30 Under 30" list in Art and Style. Now 31, Weyant specializes in moody, muted oil paintings that highlight what the artists describes as "low-stakes trauma."

Loose Screw, Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches, 2020

When I looked at this piece, I was instantly hit with a wave of nostalgia. The bold highlights, soft shadows, and everyday subject reminded me of vintage cartoons as well as the illustrations of Mercy Watson, a children's book series detailing the adventures of a suburban pig that I read when I was younger. Sections of this painting seem quite realistic, such as the candle stick or the woman's face, but the piece still feels subtly stylized. The woman's face, upon second glace, appears too perfect to be real, and immaculate reflections of the wine glass on the table seem improbable unless the table was as shiny as water. I really appreciate Weyant's style in this piece, as she bridges the gap between realistic depictions of life and slight exaggerations that make the piece feel too flawless to exist in reality.

Here, My Dear, Oil on canvas, 47 7/8 x 36 inches, 2024

Similar to the previous piece, I really love the subtlety in this second painting by Weyant. Upon first glance, there appears to be solid blocks of color on the table and on the wall. However, as I looked closely, I saw that Weyant added tiny variations in value and hue to delicately depict the table and did the same with vertical brushstrokes on the wall to add imperfections that make the wall seem all the more real. The same applies to the picture frame and the woman's face, as tiny, detailed changes of value truly bring the face to life. This subtlety not only conveys a mastery of the medium, but it makes the work feel more sophisticated and complete. I'm not sure how long it took Weyant to add all of these tiny shifts in color, but it appears to be a laborious task that only adds to the value of the piece. I would love to try to add these tiny details in my work to elevate simple surfaces or backgrounds and make my work more interesting.

Overall, I really admire Weyant's careful consideration of each aspect of her work. Nothing seems arbitrary, and it seems that she has carefully added each line, each shadow, and each highlight with purpose, reason, and dignity. Her abundance of thought and reflection inspires me to consider these same details when creating my own work.