Her mom first took notice when her daughter painted a beloved cartoon character and her best underwater bud: Flounder and Ariel — a.k.a. The Little Mermaid.

“She was 3,” Becky Little says of her daughter, Anna, who is now a 10th grader at Giles High School. Sensing the passion was not fleeting, they leaned on gift giving occasions to keep Anna abundant in art supplies. For a family with no intrinsic inkling toward art, “I learned not to be too upset about paint in the sink,” her mom laughs. “Also, an appreciation of the time and effort of producing art, it cannot be rushed or predicted, and it’s not a linear process.”

Anna cites the painting, coloring and crafting activities in preschool and, in particular, the patience of her art teacher, Mrs. Leslie, for her early interest. “She always let me stay behind and take my time on my art. She encouraged my attention to detail.” 

Over the years, Anna consistently chose painting as her signature medium and sought out ways to develop her skills on her own, which included watching artists online. “Paint,” she says, “affords room to explore varying textures and brush techniques along with the freedom to create hundreds of color choices from just a few foundational hues. Colored pencils, for example, are more restrictive.” 

Painting is the oldest expression of visual art. Natural pigments like ocher were mixed with binders — animal fat, tree sap, blood, vegetable juices, plant oils — to create the paint used in ancient cave illustrations.

Anna prefers working with acrylics because they are smooth and easy to manipulate on canvas. (And, bonus, there’s no blood involved.) When it comes to her favorite subject, it’s not what you might think … she loves old statues.

 

 

“I absolutely love and admire the skill that it takes to make marble and stone look smooth and human. I like to paint them in different colors but using the same values. I think adding color gives them personality.” Pieta by Michelangelo is a favorite, an extremely somber, compassionate statue of Mary holding Jesus after the crucifixion.

Her preferred professional artist is someone familiar, who brought the ease and, literally, “The Joy of Painting” into living rooms everywhere. “Bob Ross! I watched him on TV when I was little and was mesmerized by his skills. Watching him paint is so inspiring and peaceful.” Anna also loves “Starry Night” by Van Gogh, “Water Lillies” by Claude Monet and “The Swing” by Jean-Honore Fragnoard, all of which convey a certain amount of peace and joy with intricate detail.

She has had pieces displayed in school art shows, submitted to regional competitions and was awarded a certificate by the school board for her work. She paints people’s fur babies as gifts and hopes to paint something for her church in the near future. She recalls happily when she and a best childhood friend wrote and illustrated comic books about a frog named Sir Hoppinton in 5th grade.

Then one day, an Anna original of Kanye West showed up on her mom’s container of cayenne pepper. “I’ve never really been a Kanye fan, but now his face is permanently in our kitchen,” she relates.

When asked to pick a favorite piece of Anna’s, Kanye didn’t make the cut. “I have several,” her mom declares, “a simple but full picture she painted in elementary school that is so full of joy and delight; the swan she painted for me for Christmas; her angel that is so serene and peaceful; the cows at the fence because it was the first piece of artwork she painted with intention and confidence.”

Much like The Little Mermaid’s determination to dwell on land with legs, and the humility — and patience — it takes to chase uncertain ambitions, Anna Little’s steady and simple chase is to “just continue improving.” Apropos to the ocean-adjacent life Ariel led, she hopes to live at the beach one day and maybe own a little shop to surround herself with art, clothing and trinkets. 

And, to art teachers everywhere, kudos to being integral in the promise that everyone’s talents, and everyone’s dreams, can have legs. 

 

Text by Nancy S Moseley

 

Nancy S. Moseley is freelance writer from Blacksburg. Her childhood works of art include the construction paper books about “The Adventures of Fred and Amy,” wherein Fred and Amy are stick figures. She was better at the writing part.