Great things are done by a series of small things brought together
Vincent Van Gogh

At the fall Badlands Art Association Art Show in Dickinson, the art piece Feeder Frenzy was selected to receive the student division Women Empowering Women’s Emerging Woman Artist award. Done in Annie’s favorite medium – colored pencil – this piece showcases her obvious talent in capturing all the little details in the art she creates. A mostly self-taught artist, Annie says creating art helps her notice details and deeply fits those details into her paintings and drawings. As she grows as an artist, she is becoming interested in painting with oils which have a great potential in capturing details as well.

Annie lives in Manning and is a home schooled sophomore doing an online educational program that allows her time to focus on art and other areas of interest even hanging out with her friends. Her journey with art started in the 2nd grade when she was recognized for her ability to capture details. Early recognition of her unique views may well have inspired her to see herself as an artist and have confidence to develop her own style.

Annie finds sources of inspiration in videos, books and her cats. Drawing animals was an early focus that helped her develop her ability to capture details. She looks to family, friends and her church members for feedback and ideas. Their input helped her grow beyond her focus on animals to include learning to draw people and landscapes.

Not only is Annie a talented visual artist, she is a literary artist in the making, too. She has written three tween-age novels and created the artwork for the book covers. Annie has three self-published novels which are Friends and Fears: The Two Lives of A Wolf-Dog, B4 and Storm Birds available through Amazon.com.

This was her first entry in the Badlands Art Association Art Show. She was encouraged to enter and be recognized and to experience people appreciating her art. Annie mentions that she is grateful to God for this talent. Our guess is that we’ll be seeing a lot more from Annie Costrini!

Kudos is a program of the local nonprofit organization Women Empowering Women. The program recognizes the good work women do. These are women who’ve lived quietly, joyfully, or creatively to influence our lives. They are an inspiration and deserve to be recognized for their efforts and impact. Women Empowering Women is dedicated to the collaboration of women to meet needs and help women become the best versions of themselves. To learn more, see https://wewnetwork.org.