Ann Kipling

2004 Audain Prize for the Visual Arts

Ann Kipling, born 1934 in Victoria, British Columbia, is one of Canada’s most influential artists. Known for her unique impressionistic work, Kipling established herself working exclusively with paper drawing and etching. Her distinctive style is a result of her process whereby she draws her subject over time, allowing her line-work to record every subtle shift and vibration during the session. The resulting renderings are energetic as her method captures the vitality of her subjects.

In 1955, Ann Kipling began her studies at the Vancouver School of Art (currently Emily Carr University of Art and Design), graduating with honours in 1960. She went on to study with Jan Zack, Herbert Siebner, and Rudy Kovak before her first solo show at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1971. Since then, her work has been shown regularly in group and solo exhibitions across Canada.

Describing her art practice, Kipling stated: “Drawing is exploratory. It defines and clarifies a visual idea. It is also the delight in mark making the magical connection between things seen and described, the direct encounter. When I am drawing from the figure or in the landscape, I am fascinated by the change, movement, energy, and transformation of form in a seemingly static situation.” (Statement in the exhibition catalogue, For the Record: Drawing Contemporary Life. Vancouver: Vancouver Art Gallery, 2003.)

In 2011, The Solitudes of Place: Recent Drawings by Ann Kipling was exhibited at the Burnaby Art Gallery. The exhibition showed 141 drawings, many featuring the mountains around Falkland, BC, created by Ann Kipling in 2009.

Throughout her career, Ann Kipling has received numerous Canada Council Art Grants. She was the first recipient of the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts (2004) and in 2008, she received an Honorary Doctorate from the Emily Carr University. Ann Kipling continues to live and work in Falklands, BC. Her works are collected by private and public galleries across Canada, including the permanent collection in the National Gallery of Canada and the Burnaby Art Gallery.