About
A native of Naples, Florida, Annie Strack is a classically trained professional artist whose formal art school training included advanced studies of numerous artistic mediums. Although she is best known as a Modern Master of maritime painting, she is also an experienced expert in many other mediums, subjects, and styles. As a commercial artist, her designs have been used by hotels, restaurants, retailers, and other businesses for decades. An experienced drafter, she has created architectural renderings for dozens of architects and building contractors and her renderings have been featured in numerous publications. Her extraordinary paintings are exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the world, and have been featured in 24 solo shows. She exhibits in a multitude of national and international juried shows and her artwork has won hundreds of distinguished awards and grants.
Annie Strack’s experience as an art instructor spans over 40 years. She was a pioneer of online art instruction and began designing and teaching art courses online at Artists Network University, where she was the most popular and successful adjunct professor.
Annie Strack painting en plein air in Provence
Yves-Marie of Sennelier with Annie Strack in France.
Annie Strack painting in the Chadds Ford Winter Plein Air
Annie Strack has been published in several prominent magazines including The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Magazine, Southwest Art, The Crafts Report, Plein Air Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, The Art of Watercolour, Wooden Boat International, Country Roads, Gallery Insider, House & Home, Louisiana Life, Gulf Coast Arts & Entertainment Review, Louisiana Homes & Gardens, Fig Kennett, County Lines, Junxion, New Orleans City Business, and Covington Magazine, and she has been featured in dozens of newspaper and television interviews. Her artwork has graced the covers of Art Calendar Magazine, Harmon Homes Magazine, Inside Northside Magazine, and Northlake News Magazine. She’s the author of The Artists Guide to Business & Marketing, and was a feature writer and contributing editor for Professional Artist Magazine for over a decade.
She is the producer and host of the incredibly popular video Painting Seascapes in Watercolor, which is also broadcast on television stations worldwide. She is a trained industry expert in the uses and properties of artist materials, and she works with several artist supply companies to test and review new products. Her knowledge and expertise makes her in demand as a demonstrator for artist organizations and arts supply stores, and she is an Artist Ambassador for Dynasty Brush, Hahnemühle fine art paper, and Chartpak.
Annie Strack has earned the prestigious honor of Signature Membership in 35 artist organizations, including the International Society of Marine Painters, International Society of Professional Artists, and International Plein Air Painters, and she holds the esteemed honor of being an Official Authorized Artist for the US Coast Guard. She has volunteered to serve on the Board of Directors for numerous organizations and she has chaired a countless number of juried exhibits, plein air events, workshops, programs, and fundraising. She currently volunteers for the Brandywine Valley Plein Air Festival, United States Watercolor Society, International Society of Professional Artists, and she is the Director of Exhibitions for the National Watercolor Society.
Annie Strack in Bali
Annie Strack on Guam
Growing up in her family’s hotel and restaurant businesses, Annie learned the ins and outs of the hospitality trade at an early age. She worked her way through college by waiting tables and tending bar, and in the off-season she satisfied her adventurous streak by working as a Game Warden and a Wildfire Fighter. Later, her husband’s career in the National Park Service led to moves throughout the country and overseas, while she continued to move up the corporate ladder in the hospitality industry. When she lived on Guam, she seized upon an opportunity to change careers and manage a retail business, and she traveled extensively throughout Asia as a merchandise buyer and importer for a department store.
Annie Strack jurying the Dinard plein air festival in France
When she left the corporate world to become a full-time, professional artist, she used her decades of international business experience to quickly propel her art career to the top. In addition to being a successful best-selling artist, Annie shares her knowledge and experience through her books, classes, and DVDs to help other artists reach their goals.
Annie teaching plein air painting at Valley Forge
Her paintings, prints, & posters are in over 1,000 public and private collections worldwide, including: US Coast Guard, US Navy, US Senate, US Pentagon, Fredonia Museum, Zigler Museum, Lake Pontchartrain Maritime Museum, Jefferson Parish Courthouse, St. Tammany Parish Public Art Collection, San Benito Public Art Collection, Veteran Administration, Merrill Lynch, Kildare Marine, Biloxi Sun-Herald, St Tammany Parish Hospital, Ochsner Foundation, New Orleans World Trade Center, Marsh USA, Transwestern Services, International Matex, and many more. She travels around the world to teach workshops and curate exhibits, and in between her busy travels she can be found painting or teaching in her studio near Philadelphia. She endeavors to dip her toes in an ocean at least once a month.