User:C.d.hurst/Anna Hurst

Anna Hurst (born April 16, 1985 in Mobile, AL) is an American Artist who emerged in the late part of the 20st Century known for her stylish renderings of everyday life. She is mostly an underground artist, who prefers to keep her work private for the most part, but those few who have seen it rank it among some of the best to come out of the Southeastern US.

Early Life
Anna Hurst was born in Mobile, Alabama, but grew up in the nearby town of Atmore. When she was at a young age, she showed interest in the arts, but decided to eschew it, concentrating on more scholastic and extracurricular activities. It was not until much later, when she was a student at University, that she decided to jump full-fledged into the arts. Anna has often said her brother, noted philanthropist Chris Hurst, helped her in her decision.

Early Career
Anna originally wanted to draw for the amusement of her family and friends, but a chance meeting with Joey Kelley would change all that. From the moment he saw her art, Kelley knew it would be the new face of his advertising for his company. Anna reluctantly allowed Kelley to display her artwork in his stores, where it was discovered by several underground culture publications. Although her work took the underground by storm, Anna refused to let her popularity go to her head, refusing to make public appearances, and often not even claiming her own work.

"Art is there for people to enjoy, to make people think... [Artists] who demand credit for their art are only after the paycheck, the publicity" is a quote from a rare interview.

Influences
Oddly, other artists are not among the influences Anna lists. Rather, music plays a big role in what impacts Anna's art. Les Claypool, Keller Williams, String Cheese Incident, Moe., Yonder Mountain String Band, and Government Mule are just a few of the multitude of bands Anna will listen to while starting her next art project. While Anna is a big fan of these artists, they are just as big a fan of her. Robert Randolph affectionately refers to Anna as "Sunshine".