Anni Crouter doesn’t know what it’s like to not be surrounded by animals. Not only did she grow up on a farm in Michigan with family pets and her very own horse, her father was a vet whose clinic was next door to their house.
Animals, obviously, were a natural choice of subject matter for Crouter, not only because of their ubiquitous presence and significance in her life, but also because her intimate familiarity with their anatomy made her especially adept at portraying them.
Conspiracy Theory, oil on linen, 48 x 36"
“I really grew up in my dad’s clinic,” says Crouter, who went on to operate a pet groomng salon out of there until she was 49. “I watched him do surgeries of all kinds. There were always skeletons around and all that medical stuff…I was always exposed to it so I understood ‘what hooked to what’. It was ingrained in me so the animal art was the natural way for me.”
Interestingly enough, Crouter went on to marry a veterinarian and now her spacious studio is upstairs from her husband’s clinic, across the street from their house. “Luckily we don’t have to live in it!,” she says, referencing a time in her life when she did live above her dad’s practice. “Here I am though, still surrounded by animals. They’re everywhere and I can hear them from my studio all day long.”
Lucky Star, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48"
Crouter, who paints in oil, watercolor and acrylic, is perhaps best known for her wildlife art but for her April show at RJD Gallery she is presenting a new, exciting body of work that incorporates figures.
“I have always loved figure painting and did a fair amount of figure drawing in college,” says Crouter. “Introducing figures into my work has added more story lines for me. I am intrigued by the animal/human connection. It has pushed my boundaries as far as my ability to add them. It is a whole new world to me and I love exploring all of the possibilities. I also believe that painting outside of your comfort level helps you add strength and freshness when returning to your usual subject matter. In my case, that’s animals, however I think the human element will run in and out of my work for a while now.”
Winter Solstice, oil on linen, 30 x 40"
In an apt example of the animal/human relationship, and one in which the lines between the two blur, Conspiracy Theory features a woman enveloped in a buffalo cape with ravens swarming around her.
“I really wanted to incorporate more live animals instead of just the robe. The birds created a lot of cool energy and movement in the piece.” The name—a nod to the word for a flock of ravens—leaves a lot open to interpretation. “She looks like she could be hiding from the conspiracy or part of it…or it could just be referencing the ravens. As an artist, I love leaving a little mystery in my compositions.”
The Traveler, oil on linen, 24 x 36"
For The Spell, in which a young woman in witch’s garb crouches with a bird of prey perching on her arm, Crouter, who often works from photographs, returned to one of her favorite places to shoot—an old, abandoned hospital that required a permit to enter. “There is so much rich reference material there…layers of lead paint, no power, just so much character and texture, and amazing light and atmosphere. There’s a weird beauty in that.”
Crouter, who is active in numerous wildlife artist conservation organizations, says she will never be able to leave the animals out of her work entirely. They are simply too important to her and too much a part of who she is. But just as she regularly switches between mediums, she needs to mix it up.
The Spell, acrylic on linen, 30 x 40"
“I’m really loving this whole new challenge and the fresh take on things. There’s so much you can do and it’s this big wide world for me…I’ll never give up the wildlife art but this puts a whole new cool spin on it.”
Beautiful Dreamers opens at RJD Gallery on April 1 and runs through May 7. —
RJD Gallery
227 N. Main Street • Romeo, MI 48065
(586) 281-3613 • www.rjdgallery.com
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