Focusing on the local charm of southwest Michigan, artist Annie Hickman has created a colorful and whimsical collection of 72 acrylic paintings depicting her favorite places in Three Oaks, Michigan, and nearby towns. The artist’s works will open on July 1 and will remain open during theater hours through late August. Each painting will sell for $100 and 50% of the proceeds go directly to the Vickers Theater to establish scholarships for children to attend art classes in the fall.
Hickman spent many days camped out sketching the buildings and the park with the cannon and Gazebo in Three Oaks. She developed her own techniques that combine using black permanent markers and acrylic paint on inexpensive stretched canvas making the works unique yet affordable.
“Living near Three Oaks has given me the opportunity to focus my art on the community I see every day,” said Annie Hickman of Harbert, Michigan. “I am so inspired by the buildings and parks, I took advantage of having many childhood memories here: shopping for school clothes, going to the beach, the bakeries, and the park.”
Hickman’s art has evolved from performance art with her handmade basketry,-woven costumes, to these acrylic paintings that depict the personality and love she has for these buildings. “Some of them look lost in time, but I see the poetry and elegance of their simple grandeur,” she added.
