Interview: Anna McKay – Artist

This month we interviewed Anna McKay, an artist and illustrator based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her distinctive digital style blurs the lines between painting and design, resulting in work that is beautifully graphic and highly emotive. Women as subject matter has always interested Anna, and in each piece she endeavour to represent the multi-faceted aspects of the fairer sex. A thinker and a feminist, each piece is designed to evoke feminine power and strength, while issues like contemporary gender interactions, male dominance and relationship imbalances also make appearances in her diverse portfolio.

Please tell us a bit about yourself, Anna?
I’m an artist and illustrator working in New Zealand. My work is very female-driven, both visually and in the content I express. I’m a feminist. I work digitally to create strong, emotive artwork in the hope of empowering women. I was blessed with a soul-mate in this challenging world, I have a girl crush on Charlotte Gainsbourg and am a chameleon when it comes to creativity.

What inspired you to begin your artistic career?
I never imagined I would pursue art seriously after I left high school. Instead, I tried to do ‘normal’ things; I went to University and got a degree, when I couldn’t find work I went and got another degree – this time in graphic design – but these things were never meant to work out. I began to consider being an artist or illustrator as a viable career option mid/late-2012 and have been trying to make it ever since.

What do you do when you’re not using your creative brain?
Hmm, that’s a little hard as I am almost always being creative in one way or another. I love watching movies – especially horrors – listening to music, enjoying good wine (or not-so-good wine – artist’s wages!) getting absorbed in conversation, pondering the world and human nature … I’m a bit obsessed with human nature. I’m also trying to learn more about crystals and get properly acquainted with my tarot cards.

Do you have any favourite artists out there? 
I probably have heaps. I curate an art-based blog called The Visual Female. The content is really female driven and can give you more clues to my taste (which is always mutating). Someone that I’m quite into at the moment is Martine Johanna.

Who’s your personal style icon and why?
I’m not really a big fashion kind of person but at the moment I am really into clothing from ’90s film ‘The Craft’. I went op-shopping the other day and got some awesome pieces that made me feel a little like Nancy. In a good way, I swear.

Do you have a favourite piece of artwork?
I’m not one for favourites so I guess I would say no.

Any exciting projects in the pipeline?
Hmm, I always have lots of stuff going on in my head, which is sort of the pipeline, right? I’m looking at launching a side project sometime during the year, which would have a slightly darker vibe to it. I’ve a few designs underway already. Think minimal, monochrome and fierce. Oh and clothing – it’s a clothing line.

How do you see yourself in five years time?
Ooh, I like to imagine me down the line. It’s always different in real life to what you expect so in five years I’ll read this and go, “Wow, that didn’t happen”. Let’s see … still pursuing art seriously, living in an awesome apartment filled with creativity with my soul-mate sister, doing more client work and fun projects, hopefully making a steady art-income and generally smashing life. Yeah, that sounds pretty reasonable. Alternatively, I will have won the lottery.

Imogen McGill

Click here to visit Anna’s website.