In our business, we meet many fascinating and inspiring people, some more inspiring than others. Anna Staes, the driven Belgian with Polish roots behind Anitafication Art, is one such person. She paints dreams while creating art and wishes to inspire thousands of other women worldwide with her new career. “If you want it hard enough you can do it”, Anna Staes says. An inspiring talk about how to become a famous artist in less than 7 months.
Text Anja Van Der Borght
When Anna, about 10 years ago, started her Instagram account under the name Anitafication, she did not realize that a decade later, her journey would come full circle. Anita, the name her parents gave her, combined with ‘fication,’ which means as much as creating, encapsulates what Anna does day in and day out. Creating art.
“I experience more inspiring energy on an empty stomach,” says Anna Staes.
Every morning at five o’clock, Anna is up and about. She goes for a run and once back, she sits behind her easel. There, she experiments with acrylic on cotton, and soon on linen, creating abstract seas or landscapes. Only after two coffees and two green teas does she have her breakfast around 12 to 1 PM. “I experience more inspiring energy on an empty stomach,” says Anna.
Anna saw her friend experimenting with acrylic painting on canvas about a year ago. She found it so fascinating that she started working with her friend. But in fanaticism, Anna surpassed her. In seven months, she created almost a hundred paintings while her friend barely made a dozen of paintings.
“If you want it hard enough you can do it”, says Anna Staes. With her new career she wants to inspire thousands of other women worldwide.
“I honed my skills in acrylic painting, skillfully blending vibrant colors with various techniques, from pigments and inks to spray and charcoal, adding a finishing touch with epoxy varnish,” says Anna. “Nature serves as my muse. I love to paint nature, flowers, the sea, underwater life, and fish. Infusing my work with warm, familiar hues. Each stroke meticulously crafted, my art becomes a fusion of emotions, not just paint on canvas, but a vibrant expression of my soul.” By taking lessons from Paul Keaton, she fell in love with the abstract technique of painting cityscapes.
Meanwhile, her work is displayed in the Saatchi Gallery in London, at Z7 Design & Art Gallery in Knokke, at Andakulova Gallery in Dubai. She also has an exhibition at Thomson Gallery in Zug for the moment and just added her first publication to the list. Soon, her work will also be for sale at Goodwood Art Gallery in Antwerp. Ana truly lives up to her slogan, painting dreams, creating art.
