Abstract Art and Paintings
Artist Statement
My journey into art began in the basement of my parent’s house in Washington, D.C. My mother left me with a roll of shelving paper, brushes, and paints, and I happily painted for hours. On weekends my father took me and my siblings to the National Gallery of Art where my favorite artists were Degas and Renoir. I also remember that my mother took me to the Phillips Collection where I admired the paintings by Paul Klee, Miro and Matisse. In the summers I visited my Aunt Shirley and she took me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York galleries.
At Pomona College, art professor, Charles Daugherty, encouraged me to enroll in his drawing class. I discovered that I could draw and that gave me the foundation to create abstract art. Another college mentor, Rita Dibert, encouraged me to pursue many of the ideas I work with now.
Experiences that have shaped my art include my time in Paris, France where I had an internship with the French engraver, Jean Attali, with continued printmaking at Atelier de gravure de la Main d’Or; my work at the Blackburn Printmaking Studio in New York City where I taught technique and created prints, and my years of teaching art to children and adults in Tucson, Arizona. I have taught at multiple venues: Canyon Ranch, Catalina Foothills Community Schools, the Drawing Studio, The Gregory School, Marana Unified School District, Oasis, the Tucson Museum of Art, Temple Emanu-el Religious School. I am currently teaching private classes. I learn from my students and derive much pleasure from teaching them.
I focus on the joy of color and the relationship of color and shapes to create a sense of depth and movement on flat surfaces. I often use iridescent paints for their luminescent qualities. Black is rarely used. The juxtaposition of dark and light hues creates an illusion of three dimensional space. Intense color, bold shapes, and texture produce a sense of motion and dynamic compositions.
The Sea of Cortez, 2016 copyright AnnMarcus Lapidus 38"x50"
Additional Information
Education:
Graduate Paper Making Workshop, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ Summer 1981
B.A. in Art, Pomona College, Claremont, CA May 1981
Printmaking Internship, Atelier de la Main d’Or, Paris, France 1980
Semestrial Degree, Sorbonne, Paris, France 1980
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, Summer Intern at the Cloisters 1980
University of Arizona Summer Program, Guadalajara, Mexico 1976
Additional course work at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons, NY 1985-1986
Publications:
"Ann Marcus Lapidus: The Joy of Singing Color" by Beth Surdut, Desert Leaf,
Vol. 34, NO 1, January 2020.
http://trendmag2.trendoffset.com/publication/?m=12024&i=642955&p=60&ver=html5
Speaking Science-ese "Ann Marcus Lapidus" Posted by Nina K. Kolodij on May 5, 2020
https://speakingscience-ese.com/2020/05/05/ann-marcus-lapidus/
Juried Shows:
1981 Ink and Clay VII, Cal Poly University, Pomona, CA. – Purchase Prize.
1981 Enchanted Threads, Reed Whipple Center, Las Vegas, NV.
1982 Fountain Hills Festival, Fountain Hills, AZ– First Place, mixed media.
1991 Tucson Public Library, City Hall Annex, Tucson, AZ.
1992 Art and Interiors, Contents, Tucson, AZ.
2011 Small Wonders, The Drawing Studio, Tucson, AZ.
2019 The Art of Planetary Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
2023 The Art of Planetary Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Group Shows:
1981 Montgomery Art Gallery, Claremont, CA.
1981 Hannelore Sand Gallery, Tucson, AZ.
1982 Hummingbird Art Gallery, Tucson, AZ.
1991 – 1995 Eleanor Jeck Galleries, Tucson, AZ.
1992 Contents, Tucson, AZ.
1992 Artist of the Month Gallery, Unitarian Universalist Church, "Color and Form, Paintings
by Ann Lapidus and Kathleen Pearson", Tucson, AZ.
2004 Canyon Ranch, Tucson AZ.
2005 Canyon Ranch, Tucson, AZ.
2018 Tucson Jewish Community Center, Works by Ann Lapidus & Jeanne Hartmann,
Tucson, AZ.
2018 Tucson Jewish Community Center, “Simcha”, Tucson, AZ.
2019 Tucson Jewish Community Center, “Reflections and Renewal”, Tucson, AZ.
2020 Beth Shalom Temple Center, "Art In Dimension", Paintings by Ann Lapidus &
Jewelry by Jere Moskovitz, Green Valley, AZ.
2022 A Lady in Blue Gallery at Fred's Custom Stretching, Tucson, AZ.
2024 Congregation Bet Shalom, Tucson, AZ.
One Person Shows:
1992 Winslow-Centric, Tucson, AZ.
Virtual Shows:
2020 CAS Corona Art
2020 The Art of Planetary Science, A Virtual Odyssey; University of Arizona Lunar &
Planetary Laboratory
Monsoon Magic
Acrylic on panel
24" x 48"
