Summer Roses
Ann McMillan is a pastelist and oil painter from Mountain View, California. She discovered her love for painting en plein air while working as a field researcher in the Sierra Nevada, following her graduation from the University of California - Santa Cruz with a Bachelors degree in biology and environmental studies and a specialty in science illustration. Ms. McMillan began oil painting in 1997 after studying drawing, science illustration, and watercolor painting since childhood.
Ms. McMillan studies the interaction of light and color in the tradition of California Impressionism. Her recent work emphasizes the intensity and subtlety of sun and shadow. Training with Jove Wang and Barry Raybould has taught Ms. McMillan to organize her painting around solid design and carefully mixed color. She always looks for strong and unusual compositions and color combinations, and tries to create art that reflects the vibrancy of nature and her love of close observation of the landscape.
Ms. McMillan’s art has received a number of awards. In 2006, Southwest Art magazine named her an “Artist to Watch.” She is a member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast, California Art Club, Pastel Society of America, Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and Los Gatos Art Association.