I asked cover artist, Ann Holder, “When did you know Art was your calling?”
She replied, “I don’t ever recall not being an artist. It’s something I’ve embraced all my life.”
No wonder. There’s serious artistry in her ancestry: Her father, a talented woodworker; her mother, a watercolor artist, knitter, crocheter, embroiderist, fibre artist, and yarn shop owner; a brother, Gary Freeburg, an Emeritus Professor of Art and an author; a grandmother, a patissier, passed her genes to one of Ann’s daughters who now has a pastry shop; another daughter, exhibits the family’s artistic skills; and a brother, an accomplished piano tuning artist for over 4 decades.
Ann grew up in Minnesota. She loved the adventure of drawing and creating with various mediums, but alas, her K-12 school had no art classes.
She says, “My Home-Ec teacher created some classes just for me. Drawing was a solace and comfort, especially through my turbulent teen years.”
College years opened doors to Business and Fine Art at Minnesota State University in Mankato.
She says, “I continued to create and sell my work through the years as I raised my family. During a difficult time, I gave it up entirely.” Art had to sit on the sideline. But over time, God inspired Ann to return to creativity. When she remarried in 2011, Todd, her husband, encouraged her to get back into painting. She said, “I felt God used my painful past to form a deeper connection with Him and a greater depth to my work”.
In 2021 Todd and she rented a home in Cashiers, and she took up colored pencil painting. She said, “I traded paint for pencil lest I drip on the owner’s lovely home. It was a happy surprise to discover that colored pencils enabled me to achieve greater detail with no messy clean up, and no toxic fumes. I’m so glad my artwork turned in this direction!”
If you’d like to see Ann’s work in magazines, she offers these publications: “I’ve been published several times in Ann Kullberg’s publications: Color Magazine (May 2022, January, 2023, December, 2023, and upcoming November, 2025); “Treasures from Around the Globe,” Volumes 8 & 10; and “Hidden Treasures” Volume 9. I will be interviewed on August 12 with three other artists featured in “Hidden Treasures”, Volume 10. Visit Kullberg’s website (annkullberg.com) to listen to the interview.”
Locally, see Ann in the Fall Colors Art Festival in Highlands this October.
Her color-penciled animals, bears, dogs, Appalachian nature, horses, and handcrafted jewelry are available on Etsy, AnnHolderArt.
You can contact Ann at annholderart.com; facebook.com/ann.holder.547; and Instagram.com/ann_holder_art.
Meet Ann at The Laurel’s August Cover Artist Reception at High Country Wine and Provisions in Highlands on Tuesday, August 5, 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. – and raise a glass to her. RSVP to info@thelaurelmagazine.com.
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