McComas, Anita

Technique : Acrylic

Anita McComas was born in Westminster, Maryland in 1962. She currently lives in Kelowna, British Columbia. McComas holds a certificate in digital marketing from the Center for Arts and Technology in British Columbia, and she is currently enrolled in the Masters Distance Learning program of Arts Leadership and Cultural Development from the University of Colorado.

Art first began to be an influence in her life as a therapeutic activity to combat the hectic pace of her workplace. Painting allowed her to refocus while expressing her creativity. Her first experiments were with oils in a more classic style with a palette of colors like ocher yellow, burgundy red, reminiscent of the lighting and shadows of Rembrandt. It was not long after she moved from Montreal to Kelowna that she reached a turning point in her artistic practice. She soon replaced the oils with acrylics and replaced the earthy colors with dark mauves, bright yellows, and light blues. The animals and landscapes she depicts are now marked with a vibrant palette.

Anita McComas works intuitively and puts a lot of energy into the creation of each of her works. She feels a crucial sense to make gestures appear on the canvas. A duality settles between her energetic and expressive brushstrokes and her subjects which are firmly rooted in the natural world. Through painting, she feels the importance of reflecting the world in which one lives and to convey its complexities. She does this by multiplying her brushstrokes on the canvas and by presenting imperfections that are an integral part of the world around us. Deeply inspired by the group of Seven and especially by Tom Thompson, she admires their daring use of raw materials and strong colors. Anita's pictorial practice is, according to her, most relevant now, in the present time as we experience the disappearance of several animal species and the destruction of natural territories. Anita has exhibited in several galleries across Canada, and her works can be found in many public and private collections.