Tavernier artist Annmarie Anderson’s paintings are so unabashedly romantic, you almost want to give them a little privacy.
In one, a hidden path lined with lilies leads to a trickling fountain carved into a stone wall. In another, a boat rests at a dock on still, mirror-like water. And in yet another, a long, balustraded porch frames a sandy white beach that is so perfect, it can only be found in dreams.
One can easily imagine a lovers’ tryst taking place in any of these locations.
But such idyllic images are to be expected. Annmarie and her husband, Jimmy, have been in Old Tavernier for so long that they got to experience a sleepy, dreamy Florida Keys — they live on a street called “Coconut Row”— that many fear no longer exists.
Luckily for us, we can still experience this old-school paradise ourselves by viewing Annmarie’s paintings, which are currently on display in a solo exhibit at Islamorada library.
Annmarie (her family and friends call her “Annie”) told Keys Weekly that she is naturally drawn to painting the island chain’s unique gardens, water scenes, boats and buildings. The exhibit displays artworks that were created from the 1980s to the present out of acrylics, watercolors and pastels.
“I just think I was meant to paint,” she said. “I’ve been painting and drawing since I was little. I love trying to capture a mood.”
She grew up just outside of Chicago along with nine siblings. The family moved to Key Largo in 1972 when her father bought Rock Reef Resort, and, she said with a laugh, “we all became the maids and gardeners.”
Annmarie went back to the Midwest to study art and interior design at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, then returned to Florida to attend Miami-Dade Community College and Florida International University.
But her fate in the Keys was sealed when she met Jimmy Anderson.
“I knew she was a talented artist the day I met her,” he recalled. “She painted a conch shell on a piece of driftwood for my birthday.”
He was smitten.
“Forty-three years ago, I asked Annie to marry me under Snake Creek Bridge,” he said. “Thank god she said ‘yes.’”
The couple described days of hanging out at the Lagoon Saloon on the beach at Plantation Yacht Harbor, which was where Founders Park is now. They would waterski and windsurf, then go diving to grab a lobster for dinner.
“A few paintings from that time and area are in the show,” Annmarie said.
Among other jobs, she worked in retail and at an interior design firm in Ocean Reef; then she finally landed at the Monroe County public library system, from which she recently retired.
Library co-workers and patrons alike loved Annie. Key Largo library staff member Cary Reyes booked her for an exhibit in Key Largo this past fall.
“She’s an amazing artist and an amazing human being,” said Reyes.
Naomi Trevino, Islamorada library branch manager, was only too happy to book Annmarie for the current exhibit at her own library.
“Annie is a humble, loving individual whose heart is bigger than she is,” Trevino said. “I had the pleasure of getting to know the artist as a person and a co-worker before ever viewing her art. When the opportunity arose to experience her art, I saw Annie. Her warmth, her zest for life, and all that daily passion I had grown to expect from Annie translated onto canvas.”
Over the years, Annmarie, who loves a challenge, has taken on many commissions. Subjects range from the predictable — such as beloved pets and prized catches of fish — to the unexpected. She was recently asked to paint a picture of a woman spelunking in a cave wearing bat earrings.
Local real estate agent Karan Moeller said she often commissions Annmarie to paint clients’ homes as closing gifts.
“She replicates everything beautifully and turns it into art,” said Moeller.
“Each picture holds a unique piece of her heart and the love for others that she shares daily with everyone she meets,” Trevino said. “Annie offers us the opportunity to slow down and take the time to peek at what we take for granted around us through her loving view.”
Annmarie’s exhibit is on display through March 21 at Islamorada library, located at 81830 Overseas Highway, gulfside; library hours are Monday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. To inquire about commissions or sales, email the artist at annmarie@keysfineart.com. For more information, go to keysfineart.com.
