meet Anna Fox

Over the past decade I have researched the movement of energy in relationships. This combines psychology and energy medicine.  My paintings are created in conjunction with studies and field work in the arenas of consciousness development, authentic communication, and creative & collaborative leadership. The result is a visual narrative of energy's expression through our human forms. 
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For over 20 years I have been working with University of Virginia's graduate psychology department as a participant in the Kliff/Vida study.  Since age 13 I've assessed the development, influences and impacts of my personal relationships at a graduate level. 

​For over 15 years as an autodidact I have studied psychology, secular spiritual and religious practices, indigenous energy medicine and even a little biology and physics.

For over 10 years since graduating from Savannah College of Art & Design my paintings and drawings have examined the pathways of connection and separation in relationships. 

​Today I guide individuals and groups in activating and engaging their creativity through their life pursuits. Through classes, speaking, and individual coaching I support people in creating intentional change and sustainable progress in their chosen aspect of life or artistry. 

Click to listen to Anna's podcast interview on "Everyday Artist"

Bio

Hi there. My name is Anna Fox Ryan.  I'm an artist, creativity mentor, and the creator of the Creative Cycle Method. I earned my BFA in painting and illustration from Savannah College of Art & Design in 2008 and have been a professional artist ever since. I'm also insatiably curious about the human experience which has led me to independently study psychology, consciousness development, feminine & masculine polarity, and communication (that's the short list).
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Fun facts about Anna:
I was recruited by the University of Virginia’s graduate psychology department at age 13 to be a study participant for the Kliff Project. As a result I have been assessing my relationship dynamics at a graduate level for 20+ years. I studied shamanic energy medicine with Alberto Villdolo Ph.D. and the Four Winds Society. I spent 3 years co-leading an international conscious women’s group and since 2015 I have served as a creative leadership coach for clients looking to amplify their personal power and positive impact on the world around them. 

From 2018 - 2019 I was the Program Director, Chief Curator and a permanent artist in residence at the Kingman ArtHub Artist Residency in Arizona. During my time with ArtHub I expanded the program by bringing artist lectures to the local high school and hosting events for the local art community. During the inaugural semester of the new program ArtHub reached over 200 students through class visits and field trips hosted at the artist's studios. Before returning to the east coast to live closer to family in 2019, I advised on the merger between ArtHub and the local arts center, working with a team to establish an art education program that continues to thrive today. 

Prior to her directorship I was awarded a year long artist residency with ArtHub from September 2017-2018. In 2016 I was juried into a residency with Alex Grey & Allyson Grey at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, and in 2014 I attended the Barnes Artist Residency in Umbria Italy (it was delicious). 

I'm happy to say that my work hangs in collections of prominent individuals and institutions throughout the US and Europe reaching as far as London, Finland and Portugal. I lovingly refer to my collectors as "guardians". Each piece has it's own spirit and when a person(s) brings a painting into their home it's the start of a relationship and even self discovery through their time spent with the piece.

I rarely seek to exhibit my work, choosing to spend the majority of my time in the studio focusing on research, painting and writing. My work was exhibited in Provincetown Art Museum in 2016 and 2017. In 2013 my paintings were presented by Neiman Marcus in King of Prussia Pennsylvania.

In 2020 I returned to her hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia where I now live and work nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

​Interview with Anna

Where do you source your inspiration from?
My life experiences. I'm an HSP (which means Highly Sensitive Person) and I'm an empath. I basically feel everything and it's pretty intense. I use my art to process the big subjects that typically arise in my primary relationships (romantic partner, close friends, family). If I can translate a feeling or concept visually then I can reorient myself and find my right-relationship with it (be at peace in my power and ability to accept it or facilitate needed changes). Then I can just let it move through me.  By releasing feelings and ideas into a new form like this I free myself of congestion or debris that might otherwise get stuck in my psyche or energy field. I literally paint, dance and create for my life, my health, my wellbeing. The fact that I have a ton of paintings that are both soulful and relational turns out to be an amazing bonus.  Some pieces can even be used as educational tools, and that is what really keeps my soul singing. I want to be able to return some of the learning I've collected over the many years of this kind of conscious self inquiry. My latest works feel like a bridge into service in that way. 

What is your next body of work? 
I'm interested in finding strong partnerships that will amplify a shared message and goal of enhancing education around mental and emotional health using the arts. Part of this includes implementing my paintings as educational tools. In the meantime I'm including these works in teaching programs for youth empowerment through the arts. This is different from painting but a necessary development for my intended path of service.  I consider this leg of my journey to be part of the overall body of work that is my life's work. 

How do you sell your paintings?
People who have purchased my paintings have typically found me organically by word-of-mouth. I'm an introverted person and my works are highly personal, so when I'm approached for a purchase I consider both the sale and the relationship that my painting and I will be entering into. I'm kind of a secret, but maybe the secret is getting out. 

How do you price your paintings?
It's based on value, not an equation. I charge what is fair and will provide me with a proper living as someone who has committed the past 20 years and the rest her life to her mastery in the arts and pursuit of conscious awakening. It's the same as a lawyer or surgeon. And yes, lives are on the line. Oil paintings, watercolors and drawings can go for several thousand to tens of thousands of dollars depending on size, level of completion and date of completion.

What's your highest painting sale?
$35,000 for one oil painting in 2020.

What was it like to have a sale like that?
It was the right price and was probably worth more. The buyer said yes with ease which I really respected. I appreciated that they didn't try to negotiate with me or manipulate me to get a lower price, which has happened repeatedly in the past when my starting prices were significantly lower. (That typically occurred with men who were treating the purchase as a power dynamic instead of an investment in both a work of art and a new relationship with both the art and the artist. Not calling out men. Just naming facts. I have had men of incredibly high integrity purchase work. I just got a few who were using unhealthy masculine tactics of domination and control.) 

Do you accept commissions?
Generally no. I occasionally make exceptions when I'm given a project that is aligned with my current vision and the matron/patron is ready to invest appropriately in the project. I also have to like the person. Basically, I can't have a middle-person between me and the conscious inspiration providing the flow of the painting. I need to keep my channel clear, so the buyer has to be 1000% yes to that, including the unexpected process and outcomes. That's art. If it were expected it would be product. And I don't produce. I Create. 

Are you concerned about sounding arrogant?
Haha. If someone mistakes my self-assured confidence for arrogance then they may want to reflect on their own relationship with power. My confidence should be permission for others to have theirs as well, not a threat. So no. Because I'm not arrogant. I'm clear. 
Did you get that?

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