Ann Marie shares insights into her techniques, influences, and the joys and challenges of developing a distinctive artistic voice, offering valuable inspiration for artists at every stage of their creative path. 

A few lines on your background, how you got into art, and what you focus on now. 

I’m an impasto painter from Arlington, VA and I’ve been painting exclusively with palette knives for about 20 years. I first got into art in high school and quickly realized I wanted to be an artist. As an introverted kid, art helped me express myself in different ways and was my therapy in dealing with the death of my brother at a young age. Now that I’m in my forties and have been a full-time artist for nine years, I try to find balance between creating art that brings me joy, challenges me, and also supports my family of six. 

Your work is instantly recognisable for the palette knife technique and the sculptural, three-dimensional paint. How did you land on that as your signature approach? 

The week before high school graduation my art teacher let me play around with the class supply of oil paints and I was instantly enamoured by the texture. I continued to play around with texture in college even using sprinkles at one point. Around age 24, I moved to a group studio in Arlington and increasingly detested the cleaning regimen required for brushes so gradually moved to knives only. I’ve been working exclusively with knives ever since and haven’t looked back.  

Vuillard's Flowers, oil on canvas, 14x11in, 2026

You work across bold abstractions and expressionist landscapes - how do you decide which direction a new piece is going in? 

I’m often inspired by my surroundings and the places I travel with my family. Almost all of the landscape pieces I’ve done are from my photos of national parks including the wildflowers and the mountains we love to hike. My landscapes are heavily focused on texture and colour, with the layout as more of an outline that I exaggerate with thick paint.

After working on detailed pieces I find myself needing a mental break, and that’s where the abstract line of my work comes in. I find it meditative and calming to work through large geometric canvases with hundreds of different coloured daubs, for example in my Polka Daubs series. The series was first inspired after I saw Kusama’s retrospective at the Hirshhorn in 2017.

My inspiration is 100% tied to exploration and experimentation so trying new things and jumping around is what keeps me excited to return to the studio every day. 

Colour is such a huge part of your work. Where do you start when building a palette for a new piece?  

When I build a palette I always start with my favourite colours which I’ve used for decades: naphthol red, deep turquoise, phthalo green, cadmium orange, turquoise, azo medium yellow, dioxazine purple, and ultramarine blue. I’ve found I can accomplish anything with these eight colours and even create a beautiful chromatic black. If I want more variety in the palette I will add in some deeper, natural colours like alizarin crimson, sap green, and quinacridone magenta. 

You've had your work featured everywhere from museums to major magazines - has that changed how you approach painting day to day, or does the process stay the same?  

My approach to painting day to day has not changed but I am more aware of the need to document my work from all stages. I always say that I have to paint something to show something to sell something. The motivation is always the act of painting, but I’ve also found joy in using social media as a type of journal and documentation of my work’s evolution.  

Cottage Garden, oil on canvas, 2026

For anyone who's never tried palette knife painting, what's one thing you'd tell them before they pick one up?  

Perfection is never the goal with palette knife painting so don’t be afraid to exaggerate shapes and just play around with the paint. Often the most beautiful results come from unexpected layering or mixing. Always clean your knife between strokes because muddy thick paint is never a good look.  

What's next for you - any new series, techniques, or projects you're excited about?  

I’m blessed to be able to follow my intuition and create different series while also working through commissions. I do have an idea for a project I’m working towards using different types of surfaces and fabrics.

We also just got back from a trip out west visiting six national parks in Utah and Colorado so I will definitely explore some of that imagery. At some point I will make something out of my national parks paintings as we’ve been to 27 so far! 

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For more information visit Ann Marie @annmariecoolick or on her website