Rose and figs
Rose and figs
Anja is a friend of Cranmer Studio and joined us for Sarah Jane's summer school. Anja is also a professional portrait model and will be sitting for our Portrait In Oils. We asked Anja to share her work and her thoughts on Cranmer.
Anja Hartmann is a figurative oil painter from Germany based in London. Her practice is shaped through her fascination of intense colour, thick brush marks and thin, dripping paint to achieve a bold, expressive and juxtaposed painting. A solid moment in fragile and fleeting times.
"I was inspired by the gardens of Cranmer Hall. Being able to pick what's in season and assemble my still life in the light-flooded and atmospheric studio resulted in this oil study. Experienced artist and tutor Sarah Jane suggested the interesting crop which gives the still life more gravitas."
When creating a still life set up there are many interesting objects to pair with flowers and produce from the garden. Cranmer Hall is a Grade II* listed building of architectural and historic significance. The house dates from the early eighteenth century. Cranmer Studio is located in the wing, a later nineteenth-century addition attributed to the Arts and Crafts architect Philip Webb. Many of the objects and artefacts reflect that era.
View our gallery to see still life paintings composed at Cranmer.