Galleries & Shows
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Loyola Art Show
August 22-24, 2024
The Loyola Art Show is setting sights on bringing the finest art shopping experience to the heart of the Gulf Coast, August 22-24, 2024 in Mobile, Alabama. Anna Benifield will be a participating artist in this inaugural juried art show at the gorgeous Crown Hall seconds away from Mobile Bay.
The Loyola Art Show will be an elevated indoor shopping experience for artists and collectors alike. The three- day event, which will host 50+ 2D and 3D artists will be held downtown Mobile, AL.
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Thomasville Wildlife Arts Festival
November 7 - 17, 2024
This year’s Festival honors precious traditions of the past, recognizes the beauty of our region and the talent of those who transform it into art. Come experience the beauty of the Red Hills region and the art that tells the story of the rich life that surrounds it. The Thomasville Center for the Arts and a band of dedicated volunteers have brought the Wildlife Arts Festival to Thomasville for the past 29 years to support creative programming at the Center.
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Julep Gallery
St. Simon's Island, GA
Julep is a colorfully curated gallery filled with art from artists both local and regional to our home, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Our original artwork is accessible to many art lovers, young and old. We'd love for you to visit us and soak up the sunshine and beautiful works of each of our amazing artists.
Inspired by the art of naturalist John James Audubon, this recent series plays with color and texture - creating iconic mini portraits of my favorite birds. Each piece is an original cut-paper collage on heavy weight cold press paper and framed in custom white acrylic scalloped edge frames. Perfect for gifting! A selection of Minis are available at Julep Gallery in St. Simons Island, GA.
Audubon Mini Collection
Hands in the dirt, paint on her shirt, constantly distracted by birds.
Anna Benifield is a mother, naturalist, and mixed-media artist. She grew up in the Atlanta area and graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Industrial Design. After leaving a long corporate career in design management, Anna gained her Georgia Master Naturalist certification and began teaching nature journaling in 2019. The combination of nature and art has since become her full-time focus.
Anna works with watercolor, inks, and acrylics - but her favorite method of creating is through cut-paper collage. The papers used to create her collages are all hand-painted and hand-cut before being layered on heavy weight paper or wood panels. As a naturalist, Anna is constantly inspired by the flora and fauna of her native Southeast. While birds are her primary subjects, she also creates work featuring other natural curiosities.
For Anna, creating collage feels akin to a two-dimensional version of taxidermy. Like taxidermy, her process begins with an in-depth study of the subject, breaking it down, and then assembling the disparate elements to create a unified whole. While this process can be lengthy and tedious, it is necessary to really observe nature and its beauty to allow it to be better understood.
Her work has been displayed at the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse in Chicago and featured in art shows such as Trinity’s Spotlight on Art, The Wesleyan Artist Market, and The Shain Gallery’s Emerging Artist Show.
Anna lives with her husband, their three children, and many beloved pets in Sandy Springs, Georgia. When she is not creating art, you can find her traveling with her family, digging in the garden, or out looking for birds.
