Anne Dove
Woodinville, WA
“I’d like my work as an artist who is legally blind to speak for itself, and if I can inspire others who are dealing with limitations or hardship to continue to reach for and pursue the things that make their lives meaningful and useful, then I’m honored to do so.”
Anne Dove (she/her/hers) lives with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease that ultimately causes complete blindness. She began making art full-time once she became legally blind, as a tool to connect with herself and others. Similar to her previous mode of creation as a writer, creating art is a cleansing meditation that leaves her tired but refreshed and renewed.
Anne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and spent her early years in Tokyo, Japan. In Tokyo, she developed an appreciation for the wabi-sabi principles of fukinsei (asymmetry) and shizen (without pretense), and the principle of shibumi (simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty). Her art also contains western influences, such as Surrealism, Modernism, and Modern Expressionism. Additionally, Anne is influenced by poetry, nature, science, psychology, and even her own dreams.
Anne enjoys the unpredictable nature of alcohol inks and monoprinting. She chooses to collage because of the surreal and symbolic nature, delighting in the process of finding meaning in what may initially appear senseless or absurd. For Anne, art communicates feelings and ideas in a way that words cannot. It’s a silent, powerful emotional connection she enjoys sharing with others.