Anya Simmons lived in Africa for the first fourteen years of her life and then moved to Warwickshire in 1985. Anya studied a BEd teaching degree with art and design and enjoyed a successful career as a primary school teacher for many years, before going on to pursue her passion and love for art.
Anya’s first solo exhibition was held at Walton village, in 2005, the positive response was overwhelming. This encouraged Anya to continue developing her own expressive and individual style and has exhibited in various galleries throughout the UK, holding regular events and exhibitions throughout the year.
Her more recent works are profoundly influenced by beautiful coastal landscapes, quirky harbours and the ever-changing countryside of Great Britain. She enjoys working with various mediums creating an exciting blend of textures, shapes and vibrant colours; whilst continually experimenting with the effects that can be created using gesso, acrylic, acrylic inks and a variety of mark making materials.
Often, Anya will imagine a scene and decide how she wants certain colours to flow together to create a particular atmosphere. She enjoys examining the form, colours, light and textures within our diverse landscapes and is continually striving to capture this.
Within her works Anya strives to give her audience the romance or memory of a scene/landscape which is recognised as real, but does not always have a physical location-almost like a landscape within a dream.