Montalto delle Marche

This Christmas I was honored to be chosen for a special commission of Montalto delle Marche, a village in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche near the Adriatic Sea. A daughter commissioned this piece for her mom to commemorate their trip to the village where their grandfather was born. Such a special story! If you're thinking of a special commission, email amcoolick@gmail.com for details!

Merry Giveaway!

Hi friends! I'm celebrating reaching 1K Instagram followers and want to toast to all of you who have supported and encouraged me along the way! I'm giving away two prints of your choice from my $50 shop to arrive by Christmas: one for you and one to gift to a friend.
To enter simply:
1. Head over to instagram and follow me @amcoolick
2. Like my "Merry Giveaway" post
3. Tag a friend (up to three for extra entries)
Winner will be announced tomorrow night! Ready, set, go!!

Studio Session

Hi friends! Last weekend I had the privilege of a studio visit from DC photographer Albert Ting. Albert's contemporary photos of architecture and city life are beyond breathtaking so I was thrilled when he offered to take live shots of me painting in the studio. Nothing better than a little local creative collaboration! See more of Albert's work on instagram @Pootie_Ting

Color Pop!

Last night was the opening party for my first curatorial endeavor, Color Pop!, a group show of four women artists from the DC area whose work is focused on bold colors and unique textures. I connected with the artists via the hashtag #acreativedc and it has been an amazing experience getting to know these talented ladies while sharing our creative processes and business ideals. The show will remain up through December so stop on by Whimpop on King Street in Alexandria, VA to check it out! Read below for information about the artists and their contact info.

Bottom right by Ann Marie Coolick, Bottom left by Christine Olmstead, top two by Kristin Try.

Above: Floral Dreamland by Ann Marie Coolick

Above: Rainbow Transparencies by Jordann Wine

Artists from left to right: Ann Marie Coolick, Christine Olmstead, Kristin Try, and Jordann Wine

About the artists:

Ann Marie Coolick has painted in Arlington for over 10 years. She paints exclusively with palette knives and thick frosting-like applications. Ann Marie was a resident artist at the Arlington Arts Center from 2004 until 2009, when her first son was born. She has since exhibited extensively across the mid-Atlantic.

amcoolick@gmail.com IG @amcoolick

Christine Olmstead has been painting for 20 years and for the past 5 years has been focused on abstract pieces. Receiving professional training in realistic charcoal & pencil drawings and oils, she's inspired by the French impressionists. Her artistic goal is simply to uplift the viewer and to encourage others by letting them know that there is beauty and light left in the world.

christine.e.olmstead@gmail.com IG @christineolmstead

Kristin Try is an Alexandria artist with a passion for abstract art. Kristin's journey into the world of art began after the birth of her second daughter, when her search for a creative outlet led her to experiment with interior design and art classes. Kristin's work is also on display nearby at Red Barn Mercantile in Old Town.

kristin@ginghamandgrosgrain.com IG @ginghamandgrosgrain

Jordann Wine is a DC artist who is inspired by a fascination with sacred geometry and the natural beauty of the planet. Working with glitter, she makes use of the medium’s full range of iridescent, opaque, and translucent color qualities, as well as various textures, to push the boundaries of glue and glitter into painting. Jordann is a graduate of New York University, where she studied Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Art; she continued her art studies at the Aegean Center for Fine Arts in Paros, Greece.

info@jordannwine.com IG @jordannwine

My work on Bohemianizm

I was so psyched to see my abstract work featured on Bohemianizm this weekend!! Read the article here.

Art from Ann Marie Coolick (@AnnMarieCoolick) https://t.co/1ld8R2hm9S pic.twitter.com/ebq3Lni2P7

— bohemianizm (@bohemianizm) October 24, 2015

Blue Ridge Mountains

Just finished up and varnished this pair of 10" x 10" paintings of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park, inspired by an early morning foggy drive through the mountains. Both pieces available at www.annmariecoolick.com.

Just finished up and varnished this pair of 10" x 10" paintings of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park, inspired by an early morning foggy drive through the mountains. Both pieces available at www.annmariecoolick.com.

Back Bay Wildlife Refuge

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge near Sandbridge Beach and the VA/NC border is one of the most beautiful places on earth and my favorite place to paint. It includes a thin strip of barrier island coastline with beaches, dunes, woodlands, and freshwater marshes, providing habitat for the loggerhead sea turtle, brown pelican, and bald eagle.

You can walk away with one of my prints of Back Bay at the Back Bay Restoration Foundation's 30th Flyway Feast on October 24th from 12-5 on Knott's Island, with total proceeds from my prints benefiting the BBRF!! Help BBRF continue their mission of preserving, protecting, and improving Back Bay and its watershed!! The event will have live music, all you can eat food, live and silent auction, raffle, as well as kids activities.

For tickets and more info see www.bbrf.org

Pictured above: Marsh Romance No. 1 and No. 2, acrylic on canvas, 36" x 18" each. Available at www.annmariecoolick.com.

Ann Marie at The Little Gallery

I was beyond elated that my piece from Saturday's live painting at the Day of Remembrance at Smith Mountain Lake raised $450 for the scholarship funds for Alison Parker, Adam Ward, and Vicki's Vision. I had an amazing time painting to live music and meeting so many kind and supportive people from the community. The day was truly a blessing and a gift from Alison and Adam that will never be forgotten!! More of my work from my September feature at the Little Gallery can be viewed here.
Beautiful day for painting outside!

Dancing Cherry Trees, 30" x 40" now at the Little Gallery.

A sea of blue #SMLStrong shirts at the Day of Remembrance

New work now at the Little Gallery.

Layers upon Layers

I've been working on a few autumnal abstract geometric pieces. So many layers. I'm going through a ton of paint! Here are a few shots of the beginnings.

after two layers...

after 4 layers. a couple more to go (I think!)

Internodes Series

I have the most fun painting geometrics in my Internodes series, inspired by the internodal regions of the stem on bamboo plants. I started this series when I moved into my loft studio in 2011, which has a nice view of our backyard bamboo forest. Peachy Internodes (top) 24"x48" available @covet_arlington. Bottom piece in private collection. #art #painting

A photo posted by Ann Marie Coolick (@amcoolick) on Aug 29, 2015 at 7:35am PDT

Abstract Painting: Start to Finish

I've been working on a bright hot geometric painting with TONS of texture and layers. It may be one of my heaviest paintings yet. Here are some work-in-progress shots from the studio. I think it's done :)
Original available at annmariecoolick.com and prints available on Society6.

The Story behind the Farm

I'm no history buff but I've always been interested in the stories behind Civil War farms. The George Spangler farm, where George, his wife, and four children resided before the Battle of Gettysburg, was converted into a field hospital for the 2nd Division of the 11th Union Army Corps. 1,800 Union soldiers and 100 Confederates were treated here. The dead were buried on his property, which has been farmed almost continuously since before the Civil War. I saw for myself the haunting beauty of this farm this past June and I had to put it to canvas!

Blacksmith Shop Farm, acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40"

Shop original here.

Work-in-progress shot below from my instagram account @amcoolick.

Codori Farm, Gettysburg first layer #wip #painting #gettysburg

A photo posted by Ann Marie Coolick (@amcoolick) on Jul 6, 2015 at 8:25am PDT

SF MOMA Blog

I was psyched to see my Beach Umbrellas on the SF MOMA blog! Check it out here!

Studio Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago I had a photo shoot with the talented Laura Rush Photography for a few upcoming magazine interviews about my work. Here are a few fav pics from the shoot! Let me know what you think!

Elan Magazine

Cover Shot!

My work was featured on the June cover of Elan Magazine, a magazine celebrating the arts in Northern Virginia. Read the full interview Atmospherics in Impasto by Evelyn Gardett. Article starts on Page 46.

Summer Paths, acrylic on canvas, 30" x 24". Original available. Prints available.

Dad's Favs

In honor of Father's Day, I'm sharing some of my dad's and my husband's favorite paintings. Dad has been my unpaid art agent for years, transporting pieces to and from Virginia Beach, and marketing my work without commissions! My husband is my greatest supporter and inspiration for my foliage paintings. Below is his favorite tree painting, 1400 South Hayes, and the first in a long series of foliage paintings I've done since 2008. Happy Father's Day to all! Enjoy the beautiful day.

Everglades prints available. This bird painting hangs in foyer of my parent's beach condo and is dad's fav painting.

One of my husband's fav paintings! He loves trees :)

1400 South Hayes prints available.

Beach Birds, prints available.

Dad loves birds on the beach. These guys are Sandpipers.

Pops at my solo show at the Glen Allen Arts Center

North Bay, the view from dad's condo. Prints available.