My Story.

I am Annie Elle

I grew up in the Caribbean – on the twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago. Everything about that part of the world is bright and colourful. Houses are painted in bright colours. The intense sun shines on fruit on the trees and reflects off the skin of the people making everything glow and feel and look so vibrant. I suppose this has influenced the way that I paint.

I have always been a creative person. I remember drawing and painting from a very young age. I am very passionate about art and expressing myself in a creative way. Apart from a few months of art classes after leaving school I have not had formal art training. I’ve experimented a lot and learned along the way. Art has always been my hobby while I worked in the field of Psychology as a Therapist. After trying to juggle work and homeschooling my children, I finally decided to pause my work as a therapist and focus on homeschooling. I suddenly found that with that change, I had some time to resume my art again. Now I stay up late after planning lessons, to paint and do something for myself creatively.

Art's power to inspire

As artists we can use our work to influence and inspire others. Artists can offer fresh and new perspectives on social issues. We can tell narratives through our art in a way that words may not. I think that is really powerful. I think in our very fast paced world, art tends to cause people to slow down – to contemplate and reflect on someone else’s viewpoint. Because of my background in Psychology I am keenly aware of how art is able to tap into a different level of the psyche. It can touch us on a far deeper level than words can because of the way our brain processes images and colour. This gives artists a sort of power that can be used to create incredible changes in society. I hope this is what my art achieves!