MEET: Anna McKeown
The Dubai-based artist has brought pops of colour to walls across the UAE and beyond with her exciting champagne and perfume bottle collection. Now she’s expanding further…
Irish artist Anna McKeown only ever saw herself working in the creative sphere. She studied Fine Art at the Glasgow School of Art, before working as a teacher for the best part of a decade. But three years ago her desire to create her own paintings returned and Pop & Toast ( popandtoast.org) was born.
My inspiration stemmed from the ‘champagne lifestyle’ of Dubai. I began to create these fun bottle paintings, embracing a unique colour palette and incorporating energetic marks to reflect their glamour. They definitely reference the glitz of the Dubai lifestyle, which seemed to touch a nerve with people.
I love that each bottle has a different meaning for every client. Each bottle depicted – whether champagne or perfume – reminds people of a particular time or place. Clients can even customise a painting to whatever bottle or colour pattern they want, making them extra special.
Three words to describe my artwork would be: vibrant, energetic and fashionable. The neon undertones and Pollock-like splashes are now very much a signature of my style.
I paint most days. When I do paint, I plug into music.
The combination of music and painting transports me and it feels like a kind of meditation.
When a celebrity you admire commissions you work, it’s a pretty cool feeling. A few months ago, Vogue Williams asked me to create a gift for her husband, Spencer Matthews. It was a reworking of one of his CleanCo gin bottles. I also was commissioned by makeup guru Huda Kattan to create a perfume bottle for her sister. Both very proud moments for me.
I am currently working with several distilleries across Ireland and Scotland. They want artworks for their headquarters. I also get commissions to create my bottle art for wedding days and special occasions.
When I started Pop & Toast nearly three years ago, the name grew out of the idea of popping a cork and making a toast. But, several years on, my brand has expanded dramatically. I now create artwork for perfume brands, magazine covers, iconic portraits and abstracts, so I’ve launched The Anna McKeown collection, where I’ll offer all aspects of an art project from consultation to installation, and especially bespoke art for residential and commercial spaces. It’s a very exciting time.
@ pop_and_toast Contact: info@ annamckeowncollection