About the Artist

I used to keep a silly artist statement here, which I never really liked. So I deleted it.

However, I'm often contacted by inquisitive students who have asked me many questions over the years, so I thought I'd start adding some of my responses to those here instead. You can find a comprehensive portfolio of my work on Instagram @annatomix.

Do you consider your job hard?

It's not the hardest job in the world, but it's certainly not easy. I am self employed which means I have to manage every aspect of the business myself - taxes, contracts and invoices, ordering supplies, paying bills, making reservations, meeting with clients, managing my 2 studios - as well as physically creating Art.

Making murals can be quite physically demanding too. There are long hours involved, sometimes working well over a week without a day off. There is usually a lot of travelling, walking, climbing and lifting involved and the act of painting a giant mural is exhausting by itself. Especially when you work alone.

I am a mother, too - I have a 10 yr old son - so I always have a lot of work to do. But I enjoy it all and my job can be a lot of fun. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else.

Why did you change profession?

The financial recession in 2008 took a big toll on my job at the time. I was a sound engineer and the company I was working for was suffering, so I left that year to look for work elsewhere. In 2010, I became a mother and I knew that my old job wasn't going to work for me anymore - too many long hours and late nights away from home. I needed to find something else and I was determined to do something that I cared about as much as music.

I've enjoyed art and being creative since I was very young, and I've always sketched over the years, but I only studied Art in school and I didn't go to college or university for it - my studies were all in Music. Still, I had taken up sketching again after my son was born, and started to develop an interest in social media. I already had a keen interest in graffiti and street art, and because I couldn't go out much at the time, I pursued this via Facebook and Instagram.

Along the way I made a lot of friends from all over the world, most of them artists themselves. I started trading art with them - mainly handmade stickers and posters - and we would put each other's work up in our own cities, take photos and share them online. It all grew from there.

I first started spray painting in 2012. By 2014, I was self employed.

What are your inspirations or what inspires you?

I get inspiration for my work from a huge variety of places, but my main focus is around the relationship between humanity and nature - such as how humanity tries to force nature to do what it wants, and how futile that is.

I read a lot and I particularly enjoy philosophy, theology and mythology - the more ancient, the better - and this also has a big influence on what I create.

When is your birthday? When were you born?

19th February 1984.

Why are you so interested in origami animals? Or when did you first start doing origami animals?

My interest in origami is minimal and has no influence on my work - even though my animals are regularly described in this way by others. Of course I can understand why people may see a relation to origami in my work, but my influence actually comes from geometry, low poly modelling, crystalline structures and architecture. My earliest creatures were made up of 3D geometric shapes like cubes, and they have evolved from there. To me, my animals represent our future with nature - unnatural, low-poly and robotic, designed to suit our desires and look aesthetically pleasing.