Sarasvati-the Goddess of Wisdom

Who am I?

According to my Florida drivers license I am Anna Johansson. In my passport I am Anna Kristina Maria Johansson. To my devotee friends I am Annapurna and to my family members I am Anki (they called me this name since I was a toddler and they still do). I usually call myself Anna. It is short and sweet just to my liking, but I respond to all above mentioned names so you can pick and choose. My faith tells me that I am not this body but a spirit soul so whatever name I have in this life will eventually change and I will get a new name in my next life in another body.

Me and my sister Lise-Lott fifty years ago. I am the one to the left.

My main interest in art is in the field of illustration, specifecally illustrations for books. I don't know why I have a passion for this kind of art as it seems to be rather challenging. To be able to make good quality illustrations you need knowledge of perspective, anatomy, facial expression, landscape, trees, animals, birds....only the sky is the limit.

This interest has led me to discover and become inspired by some amazing artists that emerged during the 'Golden Era of Illustration', generally considered to be the period between the 1880s and 1920s.

During this time period there was a rage for colorfully illustrated books - especially fairy tales and fantasy adventures.

Two of my favorite artists during this time were Arthur Rachham and Warwick Goble. Both worked with line and watercolor, the same media I am trying to master ( if it is possible ). Arthur Rackham had few equals during his time when it came to the use of muted color , ambience and expressive lines. Warwick Goble was also among the era's premier illustrators presenting both brilliant and memorable images in many book publications.

From studying the art of previous masters of illustration, I have begun to use muted color to achieve optimum results in my artwork. It has opened a new, very inspiring avenue for me. I am also exploring the endless possibilites of the watercolor media. I have begun to work more "wet on wet" and I have discovered a whole new world in the application of watercolor. For an artistic nature like me, it can very well be the cause of sleepness nights due to an almost overwhelming sense of inspiration. I also lament: Why does the day have only twenty-four hours of which I sleep away one-third? There seems to be so much I would like to do, but so little time to do it in. Perhaps I could try to be more organized with my time.

More text is coming soon and more updates. If you have any questions or comments please write me. I wish all of you a fulfilling and rewarding 2011. Here is a good quote from Helen Keller.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature."

This site is far from perfect. I did it myself and I am not a computer person. I neither have the time, skills or interest to spend a lot of time on the computer. It took me a long time to get it together. I had to take an online course in Dreamweaver. With Dreamweaver it is not necessary to know the coding so for me it was a good option. Many thanks to Lara's boyfriend Mike.. He helped me with paypal and to set up the shop. He is someone I always can count on if I have a problem with the site.

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