Known for her vibrant artworks that hero Australia’s beautiful native flora and fauna, Anna Blatman is all about embracing colour in her work and her life. With an affinity for textures and layering in her art, her pieces are dynamic, bold and vibrant – something she has thoroughly embraced in her new stationery and home decor range for Officeworks.

Since beginning her career 32 years ago, Anna has gone from auspicious beginnings selling paintings in Melbourne’s Southbank Markets to having a piece commissioned by former Australian prime minister John Howard in the early 2000s, all the while staying true to her artistic vision. 

She shares more about her artistic inspiration, her unique studio setup and why she thinks being yourself is the best way to find your creative niche.

A series of images of Anna Blatman in her studio, the many colourful artworks on the walls of her studio, and products from her Officeworks collaboration.

Be Inspired By What You Love

“I love birds because they’re free. And I love flowers because they’re so magnificent. I know I can’t make them as beautiful as nature, so I have to put my own spin on those flowers and do them the ‘Anna’ way. A lot of people think if they don’t paint something botanically correct, then someone will say, ‘Oh, you’re hopeless’. But I had to accept that I couldn't do it in the first place. So, let’s cut our losses here, Anna, and let’s just do what you can do and make it look like a flower anyway.”

SEE ALSO: Celebrating the Creative Process With Zowie Baumgart

Fill Your Artistic Space With Joy

“[My artist studio] is on a main road, so I see the cars going past. I have foot traffic going past. I just get immersed in the street. I’ve got a front room where all the paintings are, and then I’ve got a little step down and that’s where I paint. I can see people when they come in and I’ll yell out, “If you need any help, give me a yell”. Some people are just looking and then some just kind of walk in to see what I’m doing. I don't think there’s really many artists that are set up like that. 

“We put a skylight in so I can have natural light. It’s above my head so I can look at the sky at any time and I can look outside and hear the cars and see people. My favourite part of the studio would be my painting room. It’s got everything. My kids have written messages all over the wall. If someone says their kid did a little picture for me, I'll stick it on the wall. Everything to do with creativity and everything that’s in my world is in there.”

Artist Anna Blatman sitting at a desk in her studio in front of laptop. Three large colourful paintings hang on the wall behind her and another painting lies on the desk.

Stay True to Who You Are

“Be yourself, do what comes naturally to you. Don’t keep doing what comes naturally to someone else. A lot of people just look around and go, ‘Oh, she’s selling. I’ll do her work or I’ll start doing her stuff and then maybe something will happen.’ Then nothing happens. They just keep copying. I say to people, even in this day and age, you could still find your voice being yourself. It’s so much easier to be you than to be someone else, because it doesn’t come naturally. In this world where everyone copies, try to be different. Learn the process and do something amazing that no-one’s done.”

SEE ALSO: Celebrating the Creative Process with Daniel Emma

Find Your Purpose and Value

“If I’m giving simplicity in the design, I’ve got to give the value in the colour. What I do is put beautiful colours together. That makes me very happy. I know deep down that I paint to make myself happy. I feel like if you look at a painting with colour, it makes you feel calm, because you love it and you feel good. When you feel good, you feel calm.

"When I was thinking about what I was going to do for Officeworks, it definitely had to be something that was colourful, that when you walked upstairs or when you got in [the room], you went, “Wow, what’s over there? I’ve got to go and have a look at that colour. I just loved putting the bold colours down. Every product in turn looks great.”

Allow Your Creativity Room to Breathe

“I will tell a person that it takes six weeks to do the painting, but I probably can do it in two weeks. But I have to have that space in between. It takes six weeks because sometimes I need to think about it. I need to look at it and go, okay, now I know what it means.”

A series of images of Anna Blatman and her artworks, including a large multicoloured painting of two birds, and a notebook featuring a similar painting of two birds on the cover.

My Art Tools of Choice

“I always use acrylics, and I buy some of my fluid [mediums] from Officeworks. Sometimes [I buy] the little postcard canvas boards and paint [on those]. I like to be as bespoke as I can. It’s just me, the paint, the canvas, palette knives, brushes and scrapers to get the texture. But it’s really just building up layer over layer until I’m done.”

SEE ALSO: Celebrating the Creative Process with Amanda Michetti

Be Disciplined in Your Craft‍

“I do four or five hours [of painting] every morning. I’ve had the same hours every year for my whole career. I go hard early and then I collapse, because I don’t take a break and I’m standing for five hours, and then I go home and play with my dog.

“I’m pretty strict on myself. I don’t ever come [to the studio] and say, ‘I can’t be bothered today.’ I’m bothered every day. I paint every day. [Painting] has got me through every disaster in life. I’ve lost myself literally at the easel in the colours, because when I’m [painting], I can’t think of anything else. So, it gives me hours and hours of escape and it’s still my job.”

What to Try

A series of images of Anna Blatman stationery products including gel pens, notebook, drink bottles and more.

Fifty cents from the sale of each product in this range goes to the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation.

‍