Ana Zanic

For me, making art has always been a search that allowed me to explore the formal visual elements, as well as my personal feelings, through an intuitive, spontaneous process.

My abstract paintings are executed in media of watercolor and acrylic. Watercolors are built with layers of washes, intermixed with dynamic lines, scribbles and marks of ink drawing. There is often a quiet tension between the watercolor’s fluidity, softness and calm, vs. the dynamic, rhythm and energy of drawing. With acrylics, the physicality of the process plays an important role – the paint is layered up, sometimes removed or wiped, then covered up again, resulting in a rich texture. While painting with watercolor evokes in me a feeling of quiet contemplation and intimacy, working with acrylic paint, on the other hand, gives me a sense of vitality through building and changing the work over a longer course of time.

In addition to painting, I am also fascinated with clay as one of the most natural and primal materials. My paintings and ceramic vessels share a common trait; they emerge from a process that is both controlled and accidental. I see this duality of my process as a metaphor for the duality of life, where certain things can be controlled and others just happen naturally, on their own.

Website: www.anazanic.com