Artist Q & A: Anne Griffiths
In this brand new Artist Q & A, Vancouver Island based artist Anne Griffiths discusses how her new solo exhibition Following Echoes explores the deeper impulses behind her abstracted landscapes. Reflecting on the release of her first book Mapping Nature and the shifting environment around her, she shares how her process has evolved to reveal the hidden layers of a place and invite a new way of looking at the natural world.
Following Echoes officially opens on June 6 and runs through June 20, 2026.
Anne Griffiths, A Wonderland (diptych). Oil on canvas, 44 x 94 inches
1. It is not uncommon for landscape painters to attempt to capture spectacle; your work seems more interested in resonance and atmosphere. What draws you toward subtle energies rather than dramatic vistas?
There are many ways to tell a story of a place, and it’s true, I choose to approach the subject of landscape from a more intimate perspective. I frequently reflect on how my audience might be overwhelmed by majestic scenery and sweeping vistas because of the vast amount of visual media we all encounter every day. Consequently, I feel that it is more important to help them make a connection to nature by reaching them emotionally on a very visceral level and sharing a different perspective than they have seen before.
Beyond our initial visual impression of a landscape, there are whole other levels to explore in the sensations experienced and impressions made on us by a natural setting and I have been working to continue to develop that concept and reach an honesty in my response to these experiences. Digging into the unseen layers that make up a landscape is an opportunity to discover new approaches to painting while appreciating the raw nature at the heart of it.
Anne Griffiths, Kelp Trails. Oil and Oil Stick on Canvas, 47 x 54 inches
2. You mention “layered colour and gesture” as a way of rendering echoes of memory. Can you talk about layering and how it functions psychologically as well as formally in your work?
We all carry a collection of visual memories of place in our minds, and these images bounce back to us like echoes. But they are often distorted from the reality of the initial setting and we recall them as romanticised impressions through the lens of memory. I choose to use the personality of my mark-making as a way to ‘write the story’ of these experiences onto the surface of the canvas and build upon my own patterns and layers of memory of natural places; It translates the moment in time into more than a literal description, which is an intangible but exciting idea to chase when conceiving of new works.
Anne Griffiths, The Interwoven Web. Oil and oil Stick on Linen, 54 x 64 inches
3. Your work suggests an interconnectedness beneath the visible surface of nature. Are there particular ecological or philosophical ideas influencing the way you think about these invisible networks?
These ideas that I am pursuing do not come from a scientific background or an in-depth understanding of nature, nor are they due to any particular philosophy. I am simply drawn to these forces of nature through careful observation and consideration of how a landscape forms and lives: through its own networks and support systems. I transcribe and try to give personality and recognition to the elements within a setting, and through personal expression, try to find a way to share the wonder of it.
4. Your paintings are deeply connected to ecological awareness without becoming overtly didactic. How do you navigate environmental consciousness within abstraction?
My hook used to attract a viewer is to present an aesthetic and emotive body of work, and once I have a captive audience, I then try to articulate the importance of aligning with nature. Hopefully this can inspire in them a need to go out and make their own personal connection to their environment and respond in a lasting and meaningful way. Over time I hope that, in my own way, I can raise awareness of the importance of preserving the natural world through these interactions.
Anne Griffiths, Oak Bay Coffee Walk. Oil on Canvas, 45.25 x 42 inches
5. Do you find that abstraction can be a way of getting closer to the essence of landscape rather than moving away from it?
The wild natural environment is very complex and can be overwhelming to take in. I feel that abstraction has a way of building curiosity and emotion, and so painting in this way builds further inquiry, which then gives opportunity for discussion. It opens up the possibility for people to form their own response and find their way into a place with a different way of looking. It may have more of a lasting impact than a literal depiction.
6. Has living and working on Vancouver Island for the last several years changed your understanding of colour, light, or spatial rhythm?
It has been a decade of island-living and observation of a similar, but more diverse range of flora and fauna than I was accustomed to in and around Vancouver. There is definitely a different quality of light in Victoria as the terrain allows for more changeable weather, which shifts the colour hues of the sky dramatically from day to day. Vancouver light is quite consistent due to the large coastal mountains which the clouds collect against, adding a particular filter to everything.
The greater balance of deciduous to coniferous trees here also makes the seasons seem more distinct. I am continuously scanning the environment as it evolves. I think it has made me a better observer. When you are in one place for a long time I suppose you take things for granted and stop seeing clearly. Change allows for that sense of wonder to return and it is a joy to have a constant source of new material that my heightened awareness brings to the studio.
Anne Griffiths, No Road to Here. Oil and Oil Stick on Canvas, 39.5 x 39.5 inches
7. Having recently published your first book (Mapping Nature, with text by Tatum Dooley) on your exploration of nature, did the process of verbalizing your philosophy change the way you approached the canvas for Following Echoes? Did the words act as a new kind of "map" for this body of work?
It is always great to hear someone else describe your work, for the fact that sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees.
Tatum has previously curated my work and written for me on various projects, so she seems to be able to tune into the essence of what I am working on quite acutely. She tapped into the ‘mapping the landscape’ concept of my paintings and I was genuinely excited to embrace that observation. It made me realize that I have had a lifelong approach of creating maps for places and stories in all areas of my creative work. Sometimes it is there in a very abstract way, but it is constantly an underlying method of organizing spaces and tracing the contours of terrain of my recollections of place. Tatum opened my eyes to this way of working that was clearly happening subconsciously, so I am now embracing this recent observation to evolve it and pursue how it can open up new ways to tackle all of the subjects that I paint.
In my work for this Following Echoes exhibition I was more keenly aware of this process while painting, so it gave me a new way to explore the surface of the canvas and build on ways to mark a place into being. It feels like the start of an exciting journey of exploration, but also like coming home to who I am as an artist.
