The artist, Anna Vanderlaan, has been drawing and painting images of people most of her life. The first formal lessons with landscape artist Istavan Valahovics in 1974 provided a lifelong skill and passion for oil painting. Anna’s landscapes usually included images of people. 1976 to 1980 Anna attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs Ohio and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. The primary challenge was a transition from representational and traditional painting to conceptual work. One of the befuddling concepts that was floated at school was that portraits and figurative work ‘are not original’. It was said that the subject is original not art. The question is, “does that really matter?”

While Anna maintains that the artist’s interpretation of the subject matter does make representational art original the reality is that the passion and the love of creating whatever inspires the artist is the most important aspect of creating art.

Ultimately “The Melting Pot” was created. Starting with 18”x24” pencil studies, the modelos, were developed starting with mismatched textiles symbolizing the beauty of diversity. As always people were incorporated into those works and evolved into themes most if not all cultures share. The following describes those works, some of which are painted on 60”x72” canvas and is still a body of work under development.

The following are The Melting pot so far:

1) Simply White, featuring a white female nude on mismatched fabrics.

2) Simply Black, is a reclining black male nude on mismatched fabrics.

3) Euro American, was a turning point to more focused attention to cultural textiles and features a seated white male nude.

4) Afro American features a seated black woman wrapped in cultural textiles.

5) The Fabric of Humanity features anatomical and ethic facial anatomy from all over the world. The hundred or so faces are each on red, white, or blue backdrops and includes expressions, ages, and vocations as possible. The world rests in the middle. This is about the beauty of humanities diversity.

6) “Music” is the start of the second half taking a deeper dive in to cultural textiles and exploring our commonality.

7) The Triumph of the Spirit over Materialism is inspired by a painting from the 16 th century. In this piece textiles are still mismatched and the Sisters represent the sisterhood of all women and pending motherhood.

8) Shadows renamed “Time” is a painting about past, present and future

9) Genesis is about spirituality.

10) “Family” is under development.

A new project is in the planning stages to engage people in an experiment of

recognition of the humanity of others from different backgrounds.

More to come…..