I knew from the age of seven that I wanted to be an artist. I was never without a pencil or a crayon, and I drew incessantly.  I was fortunate enough to grow up in Washington D.C., and my mother, recognizing my interest, would often take me to the National Museum and the Smithsonian. The great art treasures that I saw there spoke to the core of my being. One day I was standing entranced before a painting by Velasquez, and I said to my mother, “I wish I could paint like that.” She replied, “Andrew, if you work hard, you can paint like that.” Her words have inspired my life, and I am still apprenticing myself to the "Old Masters."

Since the age of 14, I have been oil painting, and I feel I have lived the most fortunate of lives. I have been able to spend my time doing what I love best in the world.

The guiding principle of my art is beauty. I want my paintings to open the heart, lift the emotions, and inspire the spirit. I feel that my art derives from the classic tradition of European art. I do not consciously use any particular subject matter, though there are broad themes that permeate my work. Much of my artistic life was spent in Hawaii, where I developed a profound love for the marine environment. Other main themes have been the allegorical, ancient civilizations and nature in general.

Perhaps the most important quality that I aspire to, and which when successfully achieved raises a painting above the ordinary, is that subtle thing we call atmosphere. The soft haze in the distance; the bright reflection, the subtly blended skin tones and play of light and soft shadow that delineate every plane and curve and hollow of a face to produce a stunning illusion of actual three dimensional substance and weight and heft.  These are the things I strive for.

A recent major work is a six foot by five foot coastline seascape called “Misty Cove.”  The subject attracted me largely because of the challenge of painting the huge variety of different ways that water can appear; with and without shadows and reflections, rough, smooth, distant and close, and everything from ocean waves to foam breaking on the shore. It also fits in with my current emphasis on scenes of nature, and my ambition to produce work that can stand beside the great landscape painters of history.

Marine, portraiture, allegorical, visionary, ancient civilizations, still life, and landscape themes, have continued with great interest, with different categories painted in each new era of my life.

I continue to set myself ever more challenging goals, in pursuit of which I can be found at the easel almost every day, doing what I love to do best of all.

 

1960s

Involved in several outdoor art festivals, exhibits and numerous juried shows during this time.

1963

Exhibited in Long Beach Museum of Art.

1964

Winner of the California National Society of Arts and Letters art contest  Went on to win the first runner up position in the all U.S. contest of the National Society of Arts and Letters.

1965

Exhibited art works in a juried art group show in Beverly Hills, Century City, California.

1967

Travels to Europe greatly influenced artistic style, ie. French influence in Parisian scenes found in earlier works. Built up experience by sketching life throughout European travels.

1968 and beyond

Became involved in sales to private collectors from late 60's through 70's.

1970

Featured in all Washington artist exhibit at Frye Museum in Seattle.

1974

Featured in all-city art festival held in Civic Center, San Francisco, Calif.

1976-79

Continued to evolve art to more professional levels. Immersed himself in nature, painted many works directly from nature, and was further inspired from journeys to Mexico, arid British Columbia.

1980s

Featured artist every year in Juried exhibit of ART MAUI, Maui Hawaii.

1981

Journeys to Nepal, Bali, Asia inspired Asian influence in his work. During this time Andrew connected with serious collectors in Japan who were interested in his art. Also at this time. Andrew was also commissioned by an American documentary film-maker working in Nepal to paint a portrait of a young Tibetan spiritual master called a Tolku, named Ossian. The Tolku was subsequently part of a television program to be aired throughout America on PBS.

1983-86

Featured in one-man and group shows in the Center Art Gallery, in Maui, Hawaii.

1987

Travels to Spain. Italy, and Greece, stimulated mythologically-inspired works of art.

1989-91

Represented by Wyland Gallery, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Andrew Annenberg, Artlst-Painter Exhibitions/Exposure.

1990

Featured in One man show "Ancient Rhythms and Modern Waves" in Larkspur, Marin County, California.

1991

Featured in One man show in Newport North Gallery in Newport Beach, California.

1990-92

Represented in Metropolitan Art Gallery, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.  The gallery also gave Andrew two one-man shows in Japan.

1993

Addi Art gallery, Lahaina, Maui

A journey to Egypt inspired a major work of art "Egyptian Enigma."

1994 to 2000

Represented by Seaside Gallery in Lahaina and William Daniel Fine Arts in Palm Springs.  Several paintings, including Egyptian Enigma were included in a Time Travel Tunnel sequence in the 3D Imax Film, "T-Rex".

2000 to present

Continues creating master works in oil.

One man Show 2013 Risk Press Art Gallery, Sebastopol, Cal

Works in Private Collections

Larry Hagman - star of TV series "Dallas"

Linda Blair - movie actress, entertainer

Carl Reiner - star of television and motion pictures

Mary Martin - stage and movie star

Carroll O'Conner - television, movie star

Joni Mitchell - singer, songwriter

Lou Gosset - film and television star

Jim Nabors - artist, singer, television star

Pat Boone - recording artist

Andrew Annenberg

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