Honoring Dan's North Fork Cover Artist: Anna Jurinich

This issue of Dan’s Papers North Fork features a beautiful cover by Anna Jurinich. Here, she discusses breaking out of her studio to paint “Picked Just for You,” how Wading River has influenced her and the idea of creating art for oneself rather than for an audience.

Anna Jurinich Discusses Her New Cover

What inspired the concept for this week’s cover art, “Picked Just for You” (2021)?

At the time, I had been preparing for a major exhibit at the MM Fine Art gallery in Southampton, titled My Here and There. The work was intense as I created numerous new paintings that spanned more than a year and a half. (One of these paintings was later selected for a Lunar Codex Time Capsule being sent to the Moon in 2024).

I saw spring and summer go by from my studio window going to the beach a block away only twice. We were entering another spring and I was still working on new work, so I decided that I must do a painting outdoors in the sunshine, and at the end I would also have a painting, no time wasted.

Most of the flowers were from my and my neighbor’s yard. I was keen to add an original view so I painted a glass vase on the same level as the dirt, like a natural transition, a gift from what the earth helps create and the way we display it. There are water drops on the vase and leaves like dew of an early morning that is promising a beautiful blue sky day.

Doing this painting was really what I needed to clear my head from the work I was doing in the studio. It was almost like meditating. I plan this spring to paint in plein air, I want to do what I always felt I could do but never had time to really do it.

How was this piece created?

This painting is 28” x 35” on paper board with acrylic paint. Much of it was painted outdoors, but for more details, like the water droplets and glass, I worked in the studio.

How has Wading River influenced you as an artist?

Wading River is a magical place, once you see it, it stays with you. I am so lucky to live a street away from, 230 steps to, the Long Island Sound, and it’s only me, the water and Connecticut on the other side. I can be there for hours completely alone. I bring my sketchbook and paints, I swim, walk and am so proud that I can still do 230 steps up. I think more than influencing me as an artist, Wading River is almost a continuation of my native Croatia and the Adriatic Sea. Being here makes my soul joyous and at peace where ideas and the imagination can work even overtime.

What art shows have you been featured in recently?

Last month I was in two exhibits. The Women’s Work exhibit at Oscar Molina Gallery and at East End Collected7 at Southampton Arts Center where I had two paintings exhibited. I am happy to say, both sold: “Earthly Flowers and Alien Silver” and “Assembled at Destination.” These are new themes and exiting new visions that have come into a clearer view. They are almost painting themselves, and I plan to do at least a series of 10 paintings. They deal with our eminent travel into space and how will we behave, what wisdom will we acquire.

I feel somehow that there are entities out there that know how important and great we are, but we still don’t. It’s almost like knowing someone that is self-destructing (us) and someone is trying to tell them that they could have a brilliant future because they are so intelligent and great. Maybe thinking of ourselves as originating from something great, living on a great planet will leave no room for destruction. I am truly exited about this new work.

Do you have any closing thoughts?

The wonderful Paton Miller asked at his studio tour not too long ago how many of us need an audience for our work. He said he does, others agreed, as did I. But lately I have been allowing myself to think otherwise.

What if one paints every day for no one to see, maybe never? If one always aimed for success than this is a deeply painful thought. But is it not also freedom? Could it not be the most sincere work, by you for only you, no ego involved? I once asked a question during a difficult time, and the answer came to me in what seemed an instant: “What only matters is that you believed in yourself and actually create what you believed in; what happens to what you created is not as important as your belief that you could.” Somewhere there I see freedom.

I think this was a revelation of sorts about one side of being an artist, however I have always been and still am exited to share my work and look forward to many more future exhibits, especially of my new work.

For more of Jurinich’s work, visit annajurinich.net.