Featured Artist: Annie Preece is a Visionary

If great art is centered on vision, then Annie Preece is a visionary. Becoming a street artist at a very young age, Preece has always channeled that creativity into her imaginative projects. She has created a diverse collection of amazing art. We were able to ask her about her art in this exclusive interview:

Who were your biggest influences?

When I first started painting I didn’t really know of any big artists. I just picked up a paintbrush and painted the fucked up images in my head. My style is very unique and different because I had no influence. Today though one of my biggest influences or favorite artists I should say is Wayne White.

When did you discover you had an amazing talent?

On my 27th birthday a friend bought me a bunch of canvases and paint. I had never picked up a paintbrush before, so I had no idea what I was doing. I painted nine really shitty weird paintings and displayed them at the the coffee shop I was working at because the the artist that was supposed to show that month flaked. I was very scared to hang my paintings at first because I was afraid of what people would think of them, then I was like “fuck what people think,” and hung them. I sold them all in a month. It was crazy. I had no idea I could paint and that people would actually buy something that I created. I started to paint more. I was so poor I couldn’t even afford canvases, so I went around to all of the coffee shops, stores, salons, farmers market, anywhere where I could sell my paintings and any money I would make would go right back to supplies. The rest is kind of history. I just never stopped hustling.

How long did it take you to transform the Porsche? What was the motivation behind this riveting piece?

I thought the Porsche would take five days; well five days turned into three weeks. I was using a paint I had never used before that was made for metal surfaces. It was like painting with glue. The Porsche was a giant pain in the ass, honestly. It’s inspired by Janis Joplin’s old Porsche, so I had to do a lot of referencing to do, then add my twist. It was during the hottest days of the summer that I had painted that and every day I wanted to to just say “fuck it.” It was the hardest piece I had ever worked on, but it is by far my favorite piece. I mean, not many people can say they painted an acid trip on a vintage Porsche.

If you had to describe your Art using a song, what song would it be?

I’m more of a canvas gallery artist than a “street artist.” I don’t know about a song, but I can describe it as a movie. I’m just Forest Gumping, man. I have no idea what I’m painting or what I’m doing half the time, but it always seems to work out. I’ve gotten some amazing opportunities. It’s like I have a lucky horse shoe up my ass.

What project are you most proud of?

I think the protect I’m most proud of right now is the competition TV show “Street-Art Throwdown” that I was on. It’s the first ever street-art reality competition show to be aired on TV. I had to do a lot of stuff that I’m unfamiliar with and that I’ve never done before. Not to mention that I had to do it all in a matter of hours. But, I hung in there. It airs February 3 at 9pm on the the Oxygen Network.

What piece of advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Self promote, self promote, self promote.

What’s Next?

The premiere of Street Art Throwdown, [and my] solo show in April at LAB ART Dallas are my biggest. I get offered jobs every week, so who knows. I spend most of my days doing commissioned work.