Ann Blockley trained at Brighton University and has a BA Hons degree in Illustration, specialising in natural history. She has written many popular books about her experimental watercolour techniques as well as filming dvds and writing regular articles for painting magazines. Ann has exhibited in a wide selection of prestigious UK galleries, has participated in international shows and her paintings are in private collections around the world. She is a member of the SWA where she won the HRH Princess Michael Award for ‘Most Outstanding Watercolour’ and is also a member of ‘The Arborealists’ group of painters. She was elected member of the RI in 2018.
‘My ideas have always been taken from my immersion in nature. In recent years I have become obsessed with the intricate, abstract tangles and organic patterns created by plant forms within the hedgerows, woodlands and fields that surround my studio. I closely follow their seasonal, decorative transformations of colour and texture. My aim is to subtly alter reality into something more poetic and elusive and enjoy exploring water based mediums in ways that interpret the sense of the image rather than precisely representing a particular feature. I enjoy playing with intriguing marks that merely allude to the facts and am influenced by the way that the wanderings and happenings of watercolour often echo nature itself. The process is both exciting and frustrating and I constantly strive to develop and re-evaluate my work.‘