Anne Haley
After retiring from a 32-year career in public libraries, including 20 years as director of the Walla Walla Public Library, Haley returned to school and earned her BFA from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland in 2010.
Haley says she loves printmaking because it is a tactile, hands-on experience. She revels in the thrill of the “reveal” as paper is lifted from the plate and enjoys the problem-solving required to plan each successive step. She finds the meditative nature and intense concentration of printmaking both creatively therapeutic and a welcome relief from stress. A shift in focus—or worrying about unrelated events—can spoil hours of work.
A former quilter, Haley draws inspiration for her current body of work from improvisational quilting, a process that embraces freedom from design rules, boundaries, and predetermined intentions. The composition emerges organically as the quilt is made. Similarly, Haley’s watercolors and prints begin with the French Curve ruler template traditionally used in sewing pattern design. The placement of color and the layering of shapes create unexpected hues and forms, making each piece an improvisational exploration.
