Anne Packard
Anne Packard
The Queen Of Provincetown
About
The painting tradition is strong in Anne Packard's family, from her grandfather, Max Bohm, a turn-of-the-century impressionist, to her grandmother, great-aunt, uncle, mother, and daughter.
Anne grew up in New York, the daughter of a prominent medical physician. Although she wanted to be an artist, following her family's strong painting tradition, her parents coerced her into attending a secretarial school. After working in the City, she married and raised five children in New Jersey. Anne did not take up painting until the age of 30.
Having always summered in Provincetown, Anne moved there with her children in the 70's. At the time, she began her career as an artist, painting on pieces of driftwood that she sold to passing tourists. Those fortunate enough to have followed Anne's progress since the mid-1970s have witnessed the astonishing evolution of her work.
She initially created her art on wood panels made from driftwood along the shores of Cape Cod. These smaller, bookshelf-sized, icon-like images delighted and inspired viewers, vistas of land, sea, and sky glowing like jewels. As she became more involved with her art, she studied with the late Phillip Malicoat and at Bard College. The artist Robert Motherwell saw Packard's talent and purchased twenty-three of her paintings for his collection. With more excellent knowledge and practiced discipline, new directions emerged.
Her studio is the largest room in her bayside home. Working above the tidal edge, with the harbor and open water beyond in sight, she stays mindful of the suddenness of nature's changing moods. Her painting evokes the surge of relentlessly driven winter seas as well as the tranquil planes of dunes at rest or an inviting narrow trail winding through sharp-bladed dune grasses.
The Cape, to which Anne has returned time and again, continues to restore her spirit. On that unique longitude, she has always been at home. From childhood by the ocean to young adulthood, this world apart has nurtured her. Later, as a mother, she lovingly raised her five children by that same shore. Ultimately, as an artist, her newfound solitude freed her to express her identification with this special place.
Artist Studio
