In the development of her current series, Annette Hammer has seen a progression over the years in developing paintings that draw the viewer into the scene, creating multifaceted work. What started out as a one time need for a wall painting became a passion to create within the medium of oils. After many years of painting study, including exploring different mediums, she returned to oils and graduated Magna Cum Laude from USC with a bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Ms. Hammer also has an A.S. Degree in Commercial Art and an A.A. degree in Photography from Ventura College.

Elements that are of particular interest in Ms. Hammer’s paintings are the landscape in all its diversity, incorporating oaks, mountains and valleys, deserts, vineyards, and cattle and horses that have played such a large part of the development of the west, and water, from small streams to the vast oceans that border the coasts, scenes that transcend time. California, Zion National Park, Colorado, New Mexico, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Arizona are all found in her body of work. As well as continuing paintings of these areas, Ms. Hammer has recently moved to Springfield, MO and has found new opportunities for creating paintings of local interest.

John Geraghty invited Ms. Hammer to be a guest artist in the Autry Masters of the American West Art show in 2013. Ms. Hammer has also participated in paint-outs sponsored by the Autry Masters program and the California Art Club. Awards include Best of Show at the Big Four Bridges Art Festival in Louisville, KY; Award of Excellence and Award of Merit at the Pensacola Florida Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival; Best of Show at the San Dimas National Western Art Exhibition; Best of Category at the La Quinta Art Festival; Best of Show at the La Jolla Festival of Arts; 1st place at the Beverly Hills Art Show, and 2 years first place from the Santa Monica Sports & Arts Festival, also receiving the Special Seascape award. Ms. Hammer was the first artist to be chosen by the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, CA to be featured in their ongoing “Masters in Our Midst” series.

Ms. Hammer has been painting for over 50 years. “My objective is to capture the essence of the moment, the beauty of the surrounding world, that may be fleeting and not otherwise noticed, scenes that change from day to day as we interact with our environment.”