Annabel “Anna” Eglitis was born amongst the beautiful tropics of Suva Fiji but spent most of her adolescent years in Rosebay Sydney where she was offered a Scholarship to East Sydney Tech to study Fine Arts.
Formally a TAFE Art Teacher in Cairns, Anna shared great enthusiasm and admiration for Indigenous art and culture, which is very evident in her artwork. Over her career, she has mentored some of the most prolific artists in the upper North’s Region, such as the late Ray Cooke, Percy Trezise, Dick Roughsey and Thancoupi.
Eglitis’ work has been featured in significant collections at the National Gallery of Australia and the Cairns Regional Gallery, displaying her work from as early as 1992 to 2016. These pieces were also recently present at the Canopy Art Centre in Cairns in July 2017.
In conjunction with her artwork adorning gallery walls, some of her illustrations can be seen in the children’s book ‘Creatures of the Rainforest’.
For the last 18 months, Anna has called Kewarra Aged Care home, where she has continued to enjoy her love for the Arts.
“.. she loves to mentor other residents in art class and enjoys watching everyone’s creativity. She just loves helping others” say’s Leisure and lifestyle assistant, Jo. “Anna is a social butterfly! She is loved and adored by all our residents and staff. She is always willing to lend a helping hand and is just so kind, caring and sweet”
If you would like to experience some of Anna’s pieces, they will be on display at the ‘Drawn to Water’ exhibition in Cairn’s.
Comments