Meet Ann
A long time resident of Colorado, Ann Louise Ramsey's love of dogs found its way into expression through her art in the early 90's when she began drawing her Cocker Spaniel, Australian Shepherd and two cats for illustrations in a self-published poetry book entitled Love, God and You.
"This small poetry book contained favorite poems I had written through the years about love. I wanted to illustrate the poems with non-subjective, universal images of love, so I chose to draw my pets, because they represent true unconditional love in my life. Since that time, I have drawn many other people's beloved pets, in addition to my own."
From childhood, Ann found creative expression through art. Studying art at the University of California in Sacramento in the 70's, Ann explored a variety of art mediums, including oil paints, pastels and graphite. Over time, she found graphite worked well for her animal portraits.
"I love working with black and white tones. Plus the portability and simplicity of pencils makes it easy to work on a drawing anywhere, so the incentive is always there. When I begin a portrait, I start with the eyes. That's where the soul shines through. Once the eyes are in place, the drawing seems to evolve naturally from there."
More recently, Ann's artistic journey has expanded to include computer graphics. A natural photographer from an early age, Ann's photographic talent and imaginative work in Photoshop has evolved into her own distinctive brand of magical realism.
Ann's "photographic digital creations" are showcased in her line of Happy Dog Art greeting cards and her children's picture books entitled
I Cannot Sleep, Just Be You (both books featuring Honey, her Cocker Spaniel) and
Me, the Tree. "My love of nature and my love for dogs are the two main ingredients that have gone into the creation of my books."
Today Ann and Honey can frequently be seen at Rocky Mountain Cocker Rescue's adoption events in the Denver area helping to raise money for RMCR with the sale of her books and cards.
Dexter, Ann and Honey at Petco in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
Dexter (left) is one of many adorable Cocker Spaniels up for adoption at the Rocky Mountain Cocker Rescue.
