Annie West

Annie spent her childhood in the Tennessee mountains with her large family.  Her father was a Native American and supported the family by sharecropping and raising yearling cattle and feed corn.  She was born December 28, 1951 and had a happy childhood spending a lot of time outdoors with her brothers, cousins and a sister.  “We were always making things out of junk because we didn’t have anything. Our toys were whatever we made and we had fun doing it.  We hunted a lot and ate what we shot--squirrels, rabbits. We fished and also ate some of the beef we raised.”  As a country kid, she was resourceful and did odd jobs whenever available.  Sometimes she helped her Dad with a construction job or two, when he did something of that nature. 

As an adult, Annie joined the Navy during the Viet Nam conflict “because all my friends were getting killed over there.”  She was a Navy Medic for three years which was the only available service area for a women at that time.  Unfortunately, she developed post-tramatic stress syndrome and began suffering from manic depression after her tour of duty ended. When released from the Navy, she traveled some and then moved to Alabama where she did a series of different jobs, sometimes cleaning or painting houses.  She discovered that making art with whatever she found being thrown away at various construction sites, was a new thrill to her. Painting happy memories with lots of color was a great way to stay upbeat and happy, “ Better than medicine, painting makes all my cares and concerns melt away.  It’s my Land of Oz. When I click my heels and grab my paintbrush, I’m gone.” 

She still creates using found materials.  Often her paintings are on old cabinet doors. She lives alone with many pets and a house full of art.

Available Works