Anne Pollard James (b. 1972)  is a contemporary oil painter working in Oklahoma. Largely self-taught, her works explore the way women thrive in spaces often not made for or by them. How we costume—how we are so often told to be other— to be softer, harder, prettier, rounder, plainer, shinier and always, smaller. Through her art, she celebrates the way we boldly take up space.

 

Anne came to art in her late 40’s and  found painting the week before the world shut down in 2020. With a background in historic preservation real estate development, a field predominantly male, much of her perspective stems from how complex and nuanced those interactions often were. Her discovery of painting was transformative, leading her to fully embrace her art career in 2022. She is moved to explore the incredible strength of women from intimate figures, provocative imagery, to vivid floral compositions. Her work ranges from small, personal pieces to large-scale, commissioned projects.
 

Anne’s work has been featured in group exhibitions in Oklahoma and New York City, and she has held solo exhibitions at Frank Loyd Wright’s Price Tower and Positive Space Gallery in Oklahoma. Her painting Pretty Mouth is cover art for the book This Strange Garment by Nicole Callihan (Terrapin Press, 2023) 

As an extension of her artistic practice, Anne founded Carson House Tulsa, a versatile gallery and community space. Located on the same property as her studio, Carson House serves as a dynamic salon for art, poetry movement, and community engagement. It hosts weekly life drawing sessions, exhibitions, and workshops, with a focus on supporting women and fostering creativity within Tulsa.