Anna Nielsen - Artist Profile
Anna was born in Lima, Peru, South America and her parents who are Danish returned to Skagen, Denmark when she was only 18 months old. In 1965, when Anna was 11, her family moved again this time to Ireland. The family lived in Killybegs, Co. Donegal, Waterville, Co. Kerry and Foxrock, Co. Dublin.
She was educated mainly by the Dominican Nuns in Dunlaoire, has a Diploma in Architectural Technology from Bolton Street, College of Technology, Dublin, while there she met her husband Gerrard. They married and moved to Wicklow in 1979 and have three children, Leo, Karl and Sophie.
She set up her own design and manufacturing business, mainly fashion, and worked from her home Workshop also teaching crafts, design and sewing while the children were small 1983-1994. The family moved to their new house in 1991, where Anna has her Studio Gallery.
She started a small craft company in November 1994, making a range of prints and cards from on her drawings. The current printed range is based on a series of black and white, pen and ink drawings and they feature the “Silhouette people”. All her drawings have a story - The words are printed and usually accompany the prints. The printed range includes Books, Limited and Open Edition Prints, Greeting and Postcards. They are all printed in Ireland, on high quality 250g recyclable character board and she uses recycled or recyclable papers wherever possible.
Her first Exhibition of Original Drawings was in The Renaissance III Gallery, Wicklow, in 1993. She has had many exhibitions since and she is a member of the IDI and the Crafts Council of Ireland.
In spring 2006 she had an exhibition in a small gallery in Paris. Summer 2007 her most recent exhibition was in Galleri Tavi, in her home town of Skagen, Denmark where she will again exhibit in 2008.
She has designed a range of ceramic pots made by potter Rob D’Eath in 2001 and two ranges of jewellery 2004/2005 with Dougal Hazel of Killen Jewellers. Currently on display her commissioned work includes a series of 11 images with words to be reproduced 65 meters wide and 2.4 meters high on a hoarding between two buliding sites in north county Dublin for Walls Residential in 2005 and a spectacular series of exclusive T-shirt designs for “bedifferent” a new Milano based Italian T-shirt manufacturer. She has just finished designing a range of greeting cards titled “Life by Anna Nielsen” for ‘Images and Editions’ to be launched early 2008 in UK. In 2008 she illustrated Filíocht Ghrá na Gaeilge - Love Poems in Irish for Cois Life. Rikki Tikki a Danish company have launched a series of 6 exclusive images produced as ikons for the Scandinavian market 2009.
Her first book, a limited edition of 500 Coffee Table format books titled “From ‘Life’ to ‘The Big Picture’ and beyond” was published in 2002. Her second book “Life is amazing” published 2004 was both a hardback limited edition of 1/500 each signed and numbered with complimentary print of the image on the cover and also an unlimited paperback version – both books contain: All prints published to printing date. Her third book ‘Serendipity’ was published June 2008 and is available in soft back as well as signed and numbered with complimentary exclusive print of the cover image
Some of her work is also available in German and Danish.