Meet Ans Carnes

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ans Carnes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Ans, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I feel my purpose found me a long time ago, but it took me a minute to accept it as that.
I have always been painting, and over the years I have become more aware that my art can be a gift that I can share. Often we tend to define our ‘use’ and purpose by our occupation, and as an artist I went through a phase when the world was starting to be more upside down than usual, when I compared myself to nurse friends and wondering if my art career served a ‘real’ purpose.
As I continued to learn and step out, offering my creations, observing reactions and receiving feedback, I understood that art can make a huge difference.
Also, my faith in Jesus is what leads me to the ultimate purpose. Since it is the compass for my life, my art is developing through the lens of my beliefs as well. I believe we are created to create, in the image of our Abba.
This February my husband Matthew joined me full time in my career. The pursuit of our art business together has been doubly rewarding. I had never dreamed of growing my art career to this level so quickly, but life surprises us on our quests.
We now explore new ways to create uplifting art that brings life and color to homes

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My career has been undergoing some exciting upgrades recently.
I had been painting in oils and displaying my work at various shows, like the Arizona Fine Art Expo in Scottsdale, for 5 years. I’m known for my wildlife, mustangs and birds, especially hummingbirds painted full of life, and playing with the contrast of focus and movement.
Recently, in team work with my husband, I have been venturing into transporting my art onto creations of wood and metal. We are very excited about our new “Upwards’ collection. After a vision of my art on arrangements of mounted wood pieces I had in February, I had been pursuing the realization of the series eagerly. In my mind, I saw playful arrays of beautifully finished and painted wood slices and slabs, presented in formations on blank steel metal stands (I love the combination of materials and textures!).
I was bent to create these 3 D art pieces, however, my skillset did not include metal working yet. Thankfully I have some wonderful artist friends! Ceri Tretter, an amazing metal artist and teacher from Mesa, invited us to a plasma cutting and welding class (I’m a bit of a chicken when it comes to fire, so it was a step out to me to yield fire spitting tools – but we had a great time!).
Realizing that an afternoon of welding did not equip me with the skills or location to form the stands I envisioned, I pondered options. Right on cue, another friend introduced me to the local metal worker Ron Miller, who had been doing art welding and stands for wood workers for years. We visited, talked, planned, and weeks later the first wood and metal sculpture was born.
What a reward to introduce the first three ‘Upwards’ sculptures last week to an enchanted audience, and see how two of them found a new home immediately!
We’ll be showing our art at shows in Colorado this summer, and will be back in the Phoenix area to show at the Kierland Commons, Fountain Hills and other locations in fall.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Persistence, Resilience and joy are three qualities that are necessary for a successful art career in my view. I am passionate about my art and driven by my visions, so I’m not afraid to put the hours in. By German stubbornness I persisted when the going was tough, to press on and keep improving. The joy of creating and the peace of submerging myself into painting is the reward that makes it possible to work consistently and create and mirror authentic beauty.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

When I feel overwhelmed I escape into nature. We are blessed with a wonderful home in the national forest in the central Arizona mountains, surrounded by pine trees and critters. We love to take long hikes with our Golden Retriever Toby, or take our dirt bikes on a trip to Crown King (I’ve always been a tree hugger, but my husband showed me how to ride a little CRF 125 big wheel, and that taught me a lot about overcoming fears and has become a favorite pastime to explore nature on rocky dirt trails, commanding full attention and providing quite a contrast to swinging paint brushes in my studio!)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.anscarnes.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anscarnes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anstaylorart/