![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/woodland-scaled.jpg)
About Anita
I’m an intuitive mixed media artist from Warwickshire, United Kingdom.
My work is inspired by the natural world and by my response to it.
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/anita-768x1024.png)
![Mixed media artist Anita Daffern basking in the beautiful local woodlands.](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/woodland-inspiration-1024x716.jpg)
When I’m not in the studio, I can be found wandering in the fields and woodlands surrounding my cottage. Daily walks with the dog provide endless inspiration: swathes of buttercups or bluebells, raindrops caught in a cobweb, or the texture of bark. All of these are eventually translated into paint.
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220521_154812-1024x768.jpg)
This planet is so beautiful and my art is a celebration of it, so I try to reuse and repurpose objects, both within the art and as part of the process. I’m passionate about recycling and sustainability, and try to re-use as many items in my art that would otherwise be destined for the bin. Some art materials include: fast-food packaging, parcel packaging, lids, bubble-wrap, cardboard, and plastic waste.
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/strip1-1024x204.jpg)
My Art Process
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220521_154345-1024x768.jpg)
I start by choosing a limited colour palette, then jump in by making marks with no preconceived idea of an end result. I keep layering until inspiration strikes and an image starts to form.
I love to play with combining different media, building layers, then scratching back to reveal what lies below. In this way, I achieve the textural, abstract effect which I love.
Most often, I work totally intuitively, with no fixed idea of what I want to create. I’ll react to the sounds and sensations around me, the music I’m listening to, or my own thoughts and feelings.
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/carnations-background-721x1024.jpg)
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/carnations-developed-721x1024.jpg)
![A painting of pink and white carnations in an abstract pale vase. The background features dark and purples tones.](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/carnations-721x1024.jpg)
![](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/dartmoor-orig-scaled-e1653588002919-768x1024.jpg)
![A self-portrait of Anita Daffern climbing on stacked rocks in Dartmoor. The sky is visible behind, blue with puffy clouds.](https://anitadaffern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/dartmoor-756x1024.jpg)
Other times, I have an idea. A moment or sensation that I want to capture, and that idea is what I explore.
My paintings are colourful, expressive, and often abstract with a playful element.