Welcome! I’m Ananda Amenet Reid.

A finished work of art doesn’t betray the full journey it took to make it.

It doesn’t show the rubbings out, the choices that were abandoned, the technique that was corrected.

It doesn’t convey the struggle or hint at the time taken.

A finished artwork may be judged as competent and serene.  

Or maybe as ‘not very good’.

The moment the artist said to themselves, “Stop now”, the work of art was no longer an exercise in creativity for the artist and an invisible umbilical cord was severed.  

Now, it belongs in the realm of the viewer.

And whether the artist chooses to hide it away or display it, it’s a single point in time.  

It’s an arrival, the journey itself never to be fully understood by anyone other than the one who made it.

If displayed, it is subject to opinion and the artist’s heart and delicate ego cannot but fail to have made an investment.

Sadly, some viewers will never see the surrender, the love, the investment.  

They will objectively assess the work of art based on their own filter, educated or uneducated, using standards that are arbitrarily agreed by an in-the-box society.  

These views are not for the artist.

For artists, such views are worthless.

We are the ones who are in relationship with that work of art during the making of it.  

If we put our heart into it, then it is our heart brought out and displayed.  

No matter how strange, different, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ our art is, there will always be someone to whom it sings it’s siren song, someone who is its divine right audience.

Artists, don’t be afraid of putting your art out there, even if it feels like letting go of your children.

If it feels like that, it’s because we are.

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Identity

Don’t we get to work identity out for ourselves by now?

And what’s this about others being offended about our choices, even when they come from our hearts and express our truth?

We are more than a body.  We are more than an expression of our society or culture.  

We are the pearl inside, not just the outer shell that others see.

My paintings are about judgement and who is the judge.

The paintings represent the ancestor, the elder, to whom we individually feel a connection, who may be a connection of the soul rather than blood.

As an adopted person, I have grown up with a different perspective on who are my ancestors and what is my bloodline.  Knowing nothing of my genetic background, I have found my family in my identity as a spiritual being, an energy being.  I carry recollections of past lives lived in various cultures across time, so who am I?  My answer is, all of it.

My art is asking us to revisit the idea of cultural appropriation, who owns identity, who is insulted and why.

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I am currently working on two new bodies of work:

‘Divine Feminine’ is a thought-provoking collection of paintings that delves into the sacred and empowering nature of intimacy, sensuality and sexuality in women. Through these artworks, I am celebrating the beauty, healing, and connection found in expressions of womanhood, focusing on the experiences of women who have embraced their power, particularly women who love other women and those who have embraced their inner crone. Each painting attempts to capture the essence of intimacy and sexuality as natural, sacred, radiant and empowered, inviting viewers to reflect on the profound depth and strength of feminine spirit.

The ‘Spirit Animals’ series features paintings that are channeled from the source of archetypal animal consciousness. Each painting embodies the wisdom, symbols, codes and keys held by a particular animal consciousness, serving as a conduit for the energies that the animal represents for Earth and humanity. These works of art convey ancient lore and spiritual teachings through the visual representation of each spirit animal, offering viewers a deeper connection to the natural world and the energies that surround us. Through these paintings, we are invited to explore the profound wisdom and guidance that spirit animals can offer us on our personal journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth.