Originally from Stockholm, Sweden, Anki Gelb moved to the US in 1984. She’s a contemporary artist working mainly with oil in her studio at Industrial Center Building (ICB) in Sausalito, California.
Anki’s early interest in art manifested itself mainly through appreciation. She always had a yearning to create with paint, which finally found an outlet after she retired from the business world. She has taken art classes at College of Marin and regularly takes workshops to experiment with new techniques and new mediums. In the end she returns to oil, a medium with which she most resonates.
Anki has exhibited in numerous shows in the S.F. Bay Area and her art is found nationally and internationally in private collections. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area; Bend, Oregon, and Stockholm, Sweden.
Works by Anki Gelb
Only the Ocean Knows, 24 x 24in - $1,800
Breaking Through, 24 x 24in - $1,800
Land's End, 24 x 24in - $1,650
Where the Green Grass Grows, 24 x 24in - $1,650
Liquorice, 12 x 12in - $650
Early Morning Poppies & Greens - 24 x 24in, $1,650
• Untitled #7 - SOLD
• Untitled #6 - SOLD
• The Gap - SOLD
• Stillness - SOLD
• Nightfall - SOLD
• Treasure Hunt - SOLD
• Pernod - SOLD
• Untitled 5 - SOLD
• Untitled 3 - SOLD
Get to Know Anki Gelb
How is your work influenced by your native country, Sweden?
I’m very influenced by Sweden. The light is so limited in the wintertime, and then there is this burst of saturated light for a few month in the summer, very much like Maine. Most of the time I paint with subtle and light colors, very quiet paintings with a limited palette. But then once in a while a paintings almost explode with colors. I feel it’s my seasons. My paintings also tend to be very minimalistic, which is another of the Scandinavian influences.
What response do you hope your art might inspire in a first time viewer?
I want the viewer to feel something, not necessarily see something. A reoccurring comment about my paintings is that they are calm and invite calmness.
Who are your favorite artists?
Matisse was one of the my early influences, I find his art very accessible and love his color choices. Diebenkorn, was a Bay Area Artist whose bold brush strokes, abstracted landscapes and figurative work speak to me. David Mankin, in Cornwall, England, is an amazing painter; he uses lots of blues, bold brushstrokes and marks, which inspire me.
Artist’s Statement
“My paintings reflect the light and colors of my native country, Sweden. The range varies from the spare light of winter when colors are very subtle to the intense, long daylight of summer when colors are saturated. Color, shapes and lines are very important in the expression of my art that’s frequently minimalistic, which is another Scandinavian influence. Although my art has moved from representational towards abstraction, my inspiration is still influenced by nature and my love for the natural world. I find the painting process absorbing; it’s constantly changing during the process and the outcome is sometimes surprisingly different from my initial idea. This creative dynamic keeps the painting process dynamic and intriguing.”
- Anki Gelb
Q&A w/ Anki Gelb
Read through Anki Gelb’s artist Q&A to discover more about her process, her inspiration, her favorite artists, and more.