A trip to Squamish Farmers’ Market is an opportunity to spot local talent, including interpretive landscape artist Andy Anissimoff, who is based in Squamish.
Anissimoff’s acrylic paintings are “derived mainly from my imagination and the result of my experience out in the backcountry,” he says.
Inspired by mountains, landscapes and the interpretative style of the Group of Seven Canadian landscape painters of the 1920s, his paintings hang in homes as far away as the U.K. and Chicago, as well as here in Squamish.
Despite his modesty, it’s an achievement that’s made even more remarkable given that, for the most part, he’s been juggling art with full-time work. Like many balancing paycheques with passion, he saved doing what he loved for his spare time until June last year, when he quit his day job and began the life of a full-time artist.
“I thought, if I don’t do this now, I’m never going to do it. I’m going to get stuck.”
It was a leap of faith, and Anissimoff says he still has a long journey ahead. “I’m chasing something in my head – a vision. I know I’m getting pretty close to where I want to be with my art, and that’s what motivates me.”
After studying art in school and industrial design at college, he began working in computer-based product design.
“But I was just turning into a technician,” he says. “The fun kind of left for me. I was still creative but it was stifling.
“It was around 2005-06 that I got into painting. I went to an event and saw people making art and was like, man, I should be doing this! That’s what got me focused on painting.”
He’s doing what he loves but admits life as an artist is tough and there’s always a worry of when the next commission may come. “It’s definitely not easy,” he says.
His canvases range in size from 8 inches by 8 inches to the largest, 8 feet by 16 feet. He prefers larger canvases, as he never had any trouble “filling the page” in art classes at school.
Sometimes his work starts with a sketch but often he allows the composition to form on the canvas. “What I create is sometimes as much of a surprise to me as to the people who are going to look at it,” says Anissimoff.
Though most of his work is traditionally through commission and comes from word of mouth recommendations, Instagram and Facebook help him reach a wider audience. And while he’s focusing on growing his online presence this year, he’s also pursuing gallery showings.
“I’ve done lots of group shows, but my goal right now is to get some permanent gallery space somewhere,” he says.
For details about winning an Anissimoff painting go to www.andyanissimoff.com or visit his stand at Squamish Farmers’ Markets on March 21 at Squamish Elementary School, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
