Anna Afshar Art

We were always drawn to Anna’s studio when visiting the Stutz building. After our vacation in Savannah, we spoke to Anna about creating a painting from a photo we had. She came to our home (her request) to get a feel for our vibe. No pressure, just understanding of who we were & what we might like. Next thing we know, she takes her lovely family on a trip to Savannah….fell in love with the town just as we did…and brought her vision back home to create a beautiful painting that means so much to us. Anna is a talented, inquisitive & genuinely lovely person.

What a wonderful experience to work with Anna! I commissioned a piece for my husband for our anniversary. I had never done this before and didn’t know what to expect. Anna was so easy to work with and very communicative. She listened to what I wanted to say with the piece, and we couldn’t have been happier with the result. My husband says it’s the coolest present he ever got.

I cannot say enough about Anna. Her art speaks to me like no other artist. She is insanely talented and works tirelessly to make sure your piece is exactly what you want. I gave the painting of us in Lisbon to my husband for Christmas. Not only did he love it, I find him sitting in our front room just looking at it. I recently bought the painting of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. This is the our family's favorite view of the city. Anna painted it exactly as we see it. She is not only the most talented artist, she is one of the kindest, most interesting and just downright nicest people you will ever meet. I cannot say enough about her and her amazing work! I feel blessed to have found her and have her work in my home.

Theme: There is never only one way to paint anything! Before the workshop I challenged Anna that it be life-changing and my she delivered. Very spontaneous yet direct approach. Now on I’ll personally start from varying ways adding more color, not overpaint, use best supplies possible and continue as why’s to my artist decisions among other changes written in my notes.

I ordered this painting from Anna at Penrod Arts Fair because they didn’t have the size I wanted in stock. I told her it was for my dads birthday, so she shipped it promptly so that he would receive it in time! She was great with communication and I’m so happy with the result!

I’ve been taking Anna’s biweekly Zoom classes for 6 months. The classes are 3 hour live, interactive watercolor workshops that include demonstrations, time to work on your own painting and critiques and feedback on your work. Anna incorporates her own style and point of view with facts and insight from historic artists in her classes. And she always has interesting stories to tell so it’s never boring. My painting has improved so much since starting her classes. I highly recommend taking her classes if you have an interest in learning loose expressive watercolors. Oh also Anna’s own paintings are amazing. I purchased two small still lifes and they shipped very fast and were beautiful.

Simply put; Anna Afshar is a Living Master Watercolorist. I give her that title informally, yet it's well earned as I feel she is one of, if not the very best, watercolorist in the state of Indiana and perhaps in all of North America. Anna has changed my art and the way I view the abstractive quality of my artistic brush stroke. I've been blessed to train with only three other Living Master's in my life; Disney and Marvel artist Jeffery Watts, Indiana Artisan Terry Armstrong and Mya Angelo's favorite artist, African American Muralist, Dr. John Thomas Biggers, all of whom had profound impacts on my creative development. Anna, however, has taken me under her wing in the most compassionate and continual way that endears me to her in ways I can't begin to enumerate. She has become one of the most impactful artists I've ever worked with, and I hold her with the same artistic merit as all other Masters I've worked with over the last three decades. In this respect, while all of them were very different personalities, all of them had two distinct things in common with one another. First, they all have an absolute command of their medium in all respects. Second, they love the world around them and everyone in it, in a way that can only be described as a peaceful and holistic love, agape. You see, Anna isn't just an artist. She's a beautiful woman on the inside and out. She celebrates her matriarchal relationship with her children in incredibly supportive ways, traveling all over Europe to support her son's professional dance and theatrical performances to her daughters' promising fashion designer career. These apples don't fall from their mothers' tree for culture, architecture, and all the fine arts. This artful way of living encompasses Anna's compositions both on canvas and paper. It transforms her narrative and abstractive style of watercolor. Her motherly and nurturing nature is a true gift she shares with those who have the honor and privilege to gain her artistic instruction. She has forever shaped my paintbrush and also my heart. I have never apprenticed under someone who has such unconditional love and support in helping you establish your craft and celebrating your success as much as her own. It's my honor to call her my friend and my distinct privlidge to continue to learn so much from her, not only in art, but in how to be a loving, caring, and supportive friend.