Ann Marie grew up in Brooklyn in a very creative environment. Recognized as a natural artist earlier in life, her family encouraged this path from the moment she picked up a crayon. As an adolescent, she would create chalk renderings on the public sidewalks in the neighborhood for all to admire until the rain would wash the "canvas" for her to create a new work of art for folks to sought after.
As a young artist, she sharpened her skills in programs, taking art courses with adults nearly twice her age. Being accepted to Mark Twain JHS in Coney Island for Art Talent helped to catapult her career in the arts at a very young age. At 12 years old, she was being commissioned to work on portraits and writing invitations in calligraphy for various events. Later on as a teenager during summer breaks, in addition to working on invites and painting portraits, Ann Marie worked for years as a Brooklyn Botanic Garden Children's Instructor. There she gardened and led arts & crafts classes and related events with children of all ages. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Illustration, Ann Marie has studied renaissance art in Florence, Italy during her college career. After graduating F.I.T., she has been an accessories fashion designer for over a decade. She continues to work on commissioned and personal paintings and drawings. Over the years, her work has been shown publicly and has won many awards and gained recognition from a variety of shows and exhibitions in the New York tri state area, and nationally, as well as solo shows in bars and restaurants. Ann Marie's work has been published on trade magazine covers and most currently illustrated her first children's book called "Lundeeria: The Tale of a Journey to Another Land, Courage, and Compassion" written by Venerable Shi Wuling. Thank you for reading. All works are © 2013 by Ann Marie Napoli |