Award winning artist, Anya McManis, has spent the past 25 years working in visual media of some sort, including commercial graphic design and web design. This work deepened her understanding of composition, layout and color and inspired her to delve into the world of fine art.
McManis’s work has been shown in many professional galleries, including at the Artwork Network Gallery and Niza Knoll Gallery in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe. She had seven solo shows at the University of Denver from 2011-2019 and participated in numerous group shows, among others at the Aurora Municipal Center, Aurora CO, the Tri-Lake Center for the Arts, Palmer Lake, CO, the R-Gallery, Boulder, CO, the WATER FOR LIFE International Art Exhibition at the Niagara Falls History Museum in Canada, and the Florence Biennale in Florence, Italy.
Currently, she works out of her studio in Denver where she also teaches art classes. In addition to painting, McManis also runs her creative agency, AMCS Marketing.
My work is profoundly tactile and rich with various mediums. Using acrylic paints, I strive to create intricate textures. Incorporating gold leaf, fluid inks and handmade paper create an interplay of raised and flat surfaces. Each painting is a product of multiple layers, building interest and dimension over time. My chosen color palette reflects elements of the natural world: the vast blue sky, mineral deposits like semi-precious stones, and the shimmering reflections of water, juxtaposed with golden yellow and red tones.
I find my subject matter through inspiration in nature. The southwestern landscape, with its remarkable rock formations captivates me, as do the oceans and rugged cliffs of the western seaboard. This fascination with natural textures, such as rocks and the contrasting elements of arid landscapes and water, draws me to specific scenes.
Colors continually inspire me, as does the challenge of interpreting the natural world into abstract forms that evoke feelings rather than recognizable images. Each piece of art begins with an element of surprise, a spark that initiates the creative process. I develop texture and layer transparent colors deliberately to create mood and resonance. Through a dynamic process, objects within the painting emerge, are partially obscured, or remain as elusive fragments, each contributing to the final composition.
My technique revolves around these purposeful choices, creating artwork that not only speaks to the viewer but also invites them to experience the layered beauty and intricate details of the natural environments that inspire me. Every painting I create is a testament to the complex interplay of color, texture, and form, encapsulating the essence of nature in a deeply abstract and intriguing manner.
Denver Art Festival | Denver
May 25 & 26, 2024
Park Hill Arts Festival | Denver
June 1 & 2, 2024
Highlands Art Festival | Denver
June 8 & 9, 2024
Broadmoor Traditions Fine Art Festival
Colorado Springs
July 6 & 7, 2024
Affordable Arts Festival | Littleton
August 25, 2024
Castle Rock Art Fest | Castle Rock
September 7 & 8, 2024
Exhibiting Artist: Anya
Cheesman Park Art Festival | Denver
October 5 & 6, 2024
Park Hill Fall Arts Festival
Sep 30 & Oct 1, 2023
Castle Rock Art Fest
September 9 & 10, 2023 | 1st Place Mixed Media
Affordable Arts Festival
August 27, 2023
Smash Fine Arts Festival Cherry Creek
August 12 & 12, 2023
Fort Collins Art Festival
August 5 & 6, 2023
Silverthorne Arts Festival
July 14 – 16, 2023
Park Hill Arts Festival Denver
June 3 & 4, 2023
Fine Arts & Crafts Festival Estes Park
September 17-18, 2022
Castle Rock Art Fest
September 10-11, 2022
Boulder Fine Art Street Festival at Twenty Ninth Street
July 30 – 31, 2022
Affordable Arts Festival
On the Campus of Arapahoe Community College
August 28, 2022
R Gallery – Boulder
February 23 – March 27, 2022
40 West Arts – Colorado Mills Mall
February 1 – June 4, 2022
Vail Arts Festival
June 18 – 20, 2021
Colorado Women’s College | University of Denver
SOLO SHOW
August 2 – September 27, 2019
Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts
Palmer Lake, CO
June 22 – August 23, 2019
WATER WISE
Aurora Municipal Center
April 1 – May 31, 2019
Colorado Women’s College | University of Denver
SOLO SHOW
November 5 – November 30, 2018
Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts
Palmer Lake, CO
June 23 – August 25, 2018
WATER FOR LIFE International Art Exhibition
Niagara Falls History Museum – Canada
May 12 – September 8, 2018
Colorado Women’s College | University of Denver
SOLO SHOW
February 1 – March 31, 2016
Anti Defamation League
Denver, CO | April 19, 2016
Colorado Women’s College | University of Denver
SOLO SHOW
June 1 – July 31, 2015
The Mix @ Niza Knoll Gallery
May 1, 2014 – December 31, 2015
Denver, Colorado
The Savoy
Denver, CO
April 12, 2014 – April 19, 2014
One: En Masse
Denver, CO
April 4, 2014 – May 31, 2014
Kingman Estates Winery | Denver, Colorado
September 18 – May 31, 2014
Colorado Women’s College | University of Denver
SOLO SHOW
June 4 – July 31, 2013
Spellbound Art
Arvada, Colorado
March 2012 – June 2013
Colorado Women’s College | University of Denver
SOLO SHOW
June 1 – July 31, 2011
Florence Biennale
Florence, Italy
December 3 – 10, 2011
Artwork Network
Santa Fe Art District, Denver, Colorado
May 2010
Vitahl Spa
SOLO SHOW
Cherry Creek North – Denver, Colorado
July 2010
Gallery Cuvee
Santa Fe Art District, Denver, Colorado
January – August 2008
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