ANNIK GUNTER I am a Global Person, a long time educator, a world Traveller, a professional student of life, and lately a happy artist. After big health issues (stroke, mild aphasia, and cancer), my academic career stopped brutally.  Lecturing in Humanities became impossible!

During a stroke episode, I experienced intense and vibrant colors. Painting became a necessity, and I explored the Fun World of magnificent colors.

My adventures in discovering Gary Pruner’s color theories opened my world of painting.

 Then I jumped through pastels, and studied the elegant teaching of Reif Erickson.

In search for solace, in 2016, I decided to challenge myself in watercolor, and pastel.

 

What influenced me?

1. Living as a child on the French Atlantic Coast, roaming on wild beaches, sailing on my own 14 feet-sailboat
2. Watching my Mom painting, and see my grandfather’s Daguerre photographs.
3. My spectacular encounter with Turner’s works at the Old Tate Gallery in London, in 1955.
4. Drawing and dreaming on John Sargent’s watercolors.
5. Transforming Bad into Good. My motto?  When you have a lemon, then, squeeze it on caviar.
6. At 15 year old, I was accepted to enter the Année Superieure for Programs in drawing (E.N. La Fontaine).  This program was preparing students to enter the Ecole des Beaux Arts, in Paris.  But my father refused, for his daughter to “go to Bohemian Paris” and…did not accept to have “another artist in the family.”
7. Discovering Meta Meditation.

 

My trip through life:

So I went to the university in Poitiers, finished a master in Modern Languages and immigrated to California.  

I received a PhD in Psycholinguistics at University of California, in Davis, in 1972, and spent another research doctoral year at Stanford University in Comparative literature. I taught as full professor at SCUS, for 38 years in Humanities (Ancient humanities and French civilization.)

I was honored as an Emeritus Professor in 1983.

In 1979, the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce nominated me as  “Woman of the Year”.

 

My trip as an artist:

Started my own paintings, as a member of:

Pastel Society of the West Coast,

Sierra Pastel Society,

SFAC,

WASH, Wash Horizon

NCA

For personal reasons:

2016 became an exceptional year. I won five awards, and received Artist Standing at NCA. (September 2016)

In August 2017, I received 2 rewards and NCA Signature Artist.

 

Artistic Thoughts and Goals?  

Contacts with fellow artists

Searching for Light, taming Water, dancing with Colors, and loving FUN.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, supported by opinion, and in the technics of the Masters. (Turner, Sargent, and Matisse)