Painting Selected for General Motors Christmas Cards
By Robert Doherty
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Ann Ribbs
has been painting for over 40 years, and you’d know it if you stepped into the makeshift studio she created in the second bedroom of her Brooksby Village apartment home. Inside, covering every square inch of floor and wall space are hundreds of paintings, many with blue ribbons attached. And now, one of her works is getting the exposure it deserves.
Chosen From Over 100 Entries
This year, General Motors Corporation asked all Erickson communities to submit paintings for their annual Christmas cards. All of Erickson’s 16 communities submitted paintings, including 18 from Brooksby. Three paintings were selected and sent to General Motors. General Motors picked Ann Ribbs’ painting.
“You labor over a painting sometimes, for days, even weeks. But this one was different, it was done very quickly,” says Ribbs.
‘Be More Spontaneous’
Ann has painted with both oil and watercolors but prefers the latter. “Watercolors are cleaner to work with. When you paint outdoors it’s much easier to paint with watercolors. With oil paint you have to worry about turpentine and all that. You can be more spontaneous with watercolors,” she says.
Ann Ribbs gets together with a small group of other painters on Mondays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. “There is no teacher, we just help each other and critique each other’s work,” adds Ribbs, who is also involved in many other things besides painting. “I take trips, go to concerts, exercise, and go tolectures. I also get the art people together planning exhibits, and we’re putting together a gala art exhibit. We’re very active and there’s so much to do here.”