The Florida Keys are embodied by water and, of course, color. We are surrounded by water and the places and personalities are unimaginably colorful, no matter which island you call home. Key West’s Ann Irvine has a seemingly endless collection of subjects she renders in watercolor. Irvine is completely self-taught as an artist and illustrator. She has a style unlike most painters, and her artwork captures the feeling and emotions of life in the Keys perfectly.
Her formal education is in criminology, in which she earned both undergraduate and master’s degrees from Florida State University. She was unable to find the position she once hoped for in the FBI. (The 1960s left little room for females in that field.) As a result, Ann joined the “Cayo Hueso” crowd back in 1965 when she first moved to the Keys.
“I surrounded myself with talented local artists from the very beginning and although I started with acrylic painting, I really took to watercolor years later,” said Irvine. “We painted outside all the time back then.”
This plein air style of painting (observational painting outdoors) is how many great artists began and it is still common to see artists in Key West painting in the parks or at local beaches. Irvine has local houses, hotels, hot-spots, landscapes, seascapes, and many iconic Key West landmarks in her extensive inventory of originals and prints. She uses a loose style with an edgy twist in both linework and color, making her work unique and extremely well sought after by collectors.
She and her husband and fellow artist Ron are two of the team of owners of Guild Hall Gallery located at 614 Duval Street in Old Town. She proudly partners with her son Capt. Scott Irvine (Time Flys Fishing), who is a guide and professional fly fisherman and a fellow artisan. Scott’s hand-made flies are often combined into Ann’s colorful flats fishing scenes brilliantly displayed in shadow box frames.
Irvine shows and sells her paintings at Guild Hall Gallery where she offers originals from $100 to $600. She has hundreds of prints available as well, and these often sell for about $75. Her prints and paintings make great souvenirs, reminders of what life is like here in paradise.
“My favorite thing about being an artist is just being an entrepreneur and supporting myself with my art,” Irvine said. “I like to think it also makes me a good role model for my kids and for my grandkids.”
Irvine’s work ethic serves to complement the talent she has with water, color, and a little (brush) stroke of genius.
