By Cristina Pepe
Montreal based Adult Education teacher, lecturer and freelance writer Anna Panunto has been dabbling in the world of visual arts in the last few years. Her expressive semiabstract paintings are vibrant and spontaneous, featuring bold lines and brushstrokes. Anna’s expression and style are a combination of various inspirations all stemming from the human experience. I recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with Anna about her artistic passion and process.
What motivates you to make art?
Whether visual or written art, my fundamental motivation is “expression”. For me, this manifests as expression that is either suppressed, repressed, or just needs to be channeled and released. Often there is an urgency to it. The ‘expression’ usually revolves around my identity….. as a woman, as a spirit, as a teacher, as a lover, etc. It is all-encompassing but it defines some form of existence. My goal is to gain a better understanding of who I am and share the journey of self-discovery with others. I am always grateful when I produce a piece of art that will enable me to connect with others in some way, shape or form.
Where do you find your inspiration?
With visual art expression especially painting, my inspiration rests within-like a soul urgency that is inside me and needs to be released at that particular moment. Inspiration for written expression, on the other hand, can be inspired randomly. It can be just a word or a vision of anything, and the inspiration will hit me like a tidal wave.
How did your journey towards painting/making art start?
My journey into painting was a gradual one. It all began with my appreciation for antiques. I have been collecting antique furniture and paintings for two decades. I have some paintings that are over 100 years old. I love collecting paintings by unknown artists, signed or not. This is where my ‘shading’ experience started. I would buy sketches or paintings and after a while, if I wasn’t satisfied with how the piece looked, I tried to enhance it by adding some shading. I did this for a few years, then an artist friend commented that what I was doing was actually an aspect of painting. I minimized the whole experience until 2014 when I finally created 2 of my own abstract pieces. At that time in my life, I was in my early 40’s, having health issues, and going through a major life transition. These abstract pieces were intense in color, tone, and shape. I used different shades of red with some muddy brown and menacing black. Although abstract art is subjective, my friends and family clearly saw the anger and aggression bursting out of these two paintings.
My poetry is another thing that has drawn me to painting. I see the two expressions as one of the same. I hope one day to combine poetry with my paintings. I actually did this with one painting – I painted on a plate and then wrote a poem to go with it. This poem was dedicated in memory of my late father for his 80th birthday. It was published in the Devour: Art & Lit Canada, issue 015 – Winter issue 2022-23
At present, I have created over 25 artworks. I like to experiment with mixed media and blend acrylic with oil paint among other things. I also use different brushes and sponges. I truly enjoy painting on canvas, glass, and wood, occasionally even plates, light bulbs, and coconut shells.
How has your Italian heritage influenced your art?
I don’t think about my heritage a lot because it is just inherently part of who I am. Both of my parents are from Campobasso, in the region of Molise. My maternal grandmother wrote poetry, and I feel I attribute my poetic side to her. When it comes to painting, I have a few cousins that paint, although in a more realistic manner than I do. I am not sure whether my painting was influenced by anyone in my family but when I look at some of my pieces, I definitely see a strong Italian and Spanish influence. I am drawn to the work of Pablo Picasso and Frida Kahlo.
How has working with different cultures influenced your artwork?
As an adult education teacher, I have been working in a multi-cultural environment for over 25 years. In addition to that, I was married three times to men of different ethnic origins. Hence, my entourage is extremely diverse and I just love it. Of course, my varied experiences have enriched and amplified my perception of reality. How I envision beauty and harmony has changed over the decades. My environment has amplified my senses where I don’t see beauty as just one thing. I also fascinated by identity in all its forms. The amalgamation of my masculine and feminine self, the amalgamation of Canadian and Italian identity, etc.… I like to redefine concepts. For instance, I will take what is perceived as aesthetically beautiful and somehow redefine or reconceptualize it visually. I understand beauty to be subjective and am at peace with the fact that not everyone will understand or like my art.
Where do you see yourself going with your work in the next few years?
At this point I don’t know where my art will take me, but I am open to new experiences. I would like to have my first exhibit, whether it is a solo or group exhibit. I think that I
would benefit from seeing people’s reactions to my art. I look forward to feedback that will certainly help me to develop as an artist. This is still a new world for me and I am very excited to learn more. I love the experience of creating alone and of letting my imagination take me wherever it needs to go. I somehow intuitively know how to use my brushes and experiment. I am certain that I will create more paintings in the near future.
2023 has been a productive year so far. I had an article published in Arabic about my art. Link: Through her art, Anna found her voice! – Aragik Community (arageek.community) I also recently wrote and published a short-story, translated into Italian by Anna Foschi. It is my ‘coming out’ as an artist and painter. Link: Io mi chiamo Gioconda | Fatti Nostri.
If anyone is interested in viewing your artwork or finding out more about it, where can they do that?
I am a member of Artists in Montreal and they have been very supportive.
Some of artwork can be viewed here: Anna Panunto (artistsinmontreal.com) I post photos of my artwork and work in progress on my Facebook account: Anna Panunto | Facebook and on
INSTRAGRAM Anna Panunto (@anna.panunto) • Instagram photos and videos
SHORT BIO OF ANNA PANUNTO
Anna Panunto was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She completed her university studies at McGill University. She is of Italian origin and speaks three languages: English, French, and Italian. Anna is a Course Lecturer at McGill University and an Adult Education teacher at the EMSB. She is also a freelance writer. Over the decades, Anna has published poetry, fiction and non-fiction short-stories, and articles on various topics, including education.
In 2022, she wrote and produced her first play, ‘Where the Heart Is: 1979’. It was a tribute to her late father. In 2023, she wrote and produced a monologue short film, translated into Italian by Anna Foschi. Anna is planning her first vernissage in 2023.
