Anatomy of an Artwork: Annie Perkins Rosenberg

Annie Perkins Rosenberg, of Black Haus Art, is currently based in Seattle, Washington. Through intricate line-work, Rosenberg brings the sublime beauty of the natural world to life. Her practice is centered around connecting the body to the environment, finding healing and inspiration in the graceful geometry of her surroundings.

Read below to learn more about Annie’s work and to see the beautiful pages she shared with us!

When did you participate in The Sketchbook Project?

I began the project this winter around the holidays. I bought the sketchbook for myself to help get me more involved in actually using sketchbooks since I always hated using them. The more art opportunities that flowed to me, the more I began to notice I needed a way to get more organized before doing exhibitions and art series. I have now established a fond relationship to using sketchbooks.

Living in Seattle, the winter months can be a bit of a hard time on the mood, so finding ways to keep me going are always helpful.

What are your favorite tools and materials that you incorporate into your daily practice?

I use mainly things I find in nature. I also use things I find laying on the ground or pieces of plant matter. I also use organic ethically found materials like found bones and feathers.

These have always inspired me from a young age. I remember one of my first art projects in the 2nd grade was to create a tree out of found materials around my backyard. I made an amazing tree with bark from our old maple tree.

This was around the time my health issues began and were manifesting greatly in my brain so I struggled in school. My teacher at the time was awed by my creation and it was the first time someone saw a true talent in me. I remember the teacher told my Mom how talented I was. This is crucial. I feel so many children do not fit a specific mold and they are labeled as less than. I have always been amazing, just in very different ways and this helped me to be seen.

Even now, at 36 years old, when I create with organic matter, it releases that same feeling.

Can you explain some of the materials featured in your photos?

I love pen and ink style materials. I am on a tight budget, and often I am asked why I do not do larger pieces and use more materials. The simple answer is I cannot afford it, which I find helps really spark the creativity since I have to work with what I have. That is what art is truly about anyways, right?

I also incorporate gouache, the found objects I speak of above, and I am an energy-worker so a lot of the shapes and images in the drawings are the way I see energy surrounding things.

Do you have any tips or tricks for artists who want to try out these materials?

Creativity comes from the heart, no matter how much you can afford, the amount of training or classes, the best way to create is to make whatever flows out of you. Even if no one likes it, even if it feels weird or strange, if you create for yourself, it will draw others to your art and they will truly see you for exactly who you are.

What are your favorite subjects to illustrate?

I love to create art around the energies I see in plant material and humans. I love feathers, organic materials, bones, and I love drawing plants and herbs. It is such an excellent way for me to share the way I see the world with everyone else.

What inspires your color palette?

I like to use more of a monochromatic approach or colors that are grim and gloomy. It is the way I see the world. Some say I have a pessimistic outlook at times, and others say the complete opposite. With a lot of inner work, I finally honor who I am and the colors I feel are expressed into my art.

How are you staying creative during this time?

I have been in a treatment for the last seven years that keeps me home most of the time, so this is not very new for me. Especially being immune-suppressed, I am used to cleaning and keeping everything sterile and clean. Ironically, that is what this sketchbook is all about. Staying creative while in treatment which can be difficult. Over the years, I have learned to keep my health to myself and sacred to me, so this is a way to express that.

What can halt my creativity right now is seeing how it effects other people, especially those I love. I wouldn't call my situation a blessing in any way, but it has truly made me feel calm and centered in the most chaotic circumstances, like what we are all going through right now. I truly feel there is always hope in and some light harder times.

Therefore, the way I like to inspire people with my darker styled art is to help them know and honor their pain and their harder times. Know that facing that darkness and honoring it can help you move on. Knowing that there are better times ahead. Accepting that sometimes seeing what we don't want and what we don't like shows us what we do want, which I think we are all experiencing on a global level.

Do you have any advice for artists who may be struggling with creativity right now?

It isn't easy. Creating when everything is chaotic can seem like the last thing you want to do. Bills need to get paid, kids need to be taken care of, and we need to make sure we are fed and keeping ourselves moving mentally and physically).

The best way to stay focused with my creativity is to aim for a small goal, maybe five minutes of sketching a day or every other.

If you hate what you create, crumple it up and throw it away. Be easy on yourself. You do not always need to create something phenomenal or something to show to the world. Some pieces can be just for you,...or just for the trash can.

You can find more of Annie’s artwork on her Instagram! Check out more sketchbook pages at #sbpprocess.