Anderson to talk about art at the library

The public has an opportunity to attend a presentation by nationally recognized expressionist-impressionist artist Carolyn Anderson at Havre-Hill County Library Thursday starting at 7 p.m.

In an evening event sponsored by Havre-Hill County-Library Foundation, Anderson will be giving her presentation "A Very Short Story of Art."

From the Egyptians to the post Impressionists, Anderson said in a release, the presentation will guide people through the centuries as they learn how artists interpreted the world around them and how changes in science and technique accompanied changes in perception and interpretation.

Anderson, who worked in pastels early in her career before switching to oils, is a predominantly self-taught artist. She said in a 2019 interview she showed aptitude for drawing as a child growing up in the Chicago area, but didn't work at it seriously until she was an adult and living in Havre.

She didn't consciously choose to pursue her artistic style, Anderson said, she just kept doing what appealed to her.

"I don't like tight realism," she said, adding, "If you have super-tight realism, those are your parameters, straightforward and everything is laid out in front of you. But if you want to change something then you need to find a different way to do it."

Which she does with her blend of impressionism and expressionism.

She said she has always been keenly interested in the human brain - how people see the world, its shapes and colors, and then interpret this input as artists and viewers.

Anderson regularly shares her knowledge in artist workshops which she has conducted each year for more than two decades, including a memorable one for Walt Disney Imagineering, where, she said, she was also given access to the company's extensive library for research for the week.

"Basically, a lot of what I teach," she said of her artist workshops, "is visual psychology and visual language, so it's not just a how-to thing on painting, it's a little bit more of understanding the process."

"A Very Short Story of Art" puts those concepts into a historical context showing human development in art through the ages.

Anderson's presentation, which is free and open to the public, was organized by the Havre-Hill County Library Foundation, said member Bonnie Williamson, who added that the foundation is a non-profit that supports the library, raising funds for various library needs.