By: Adilene Palafox
When you come to the Country Store as you are getting ready to check out, you’ll notice this stand with beautifully decorated stationary cards that are painted in watercolor. Would you believe these intricately detailed cards are made by an award-winning artist named Ann Kreile? Yes, Ann is a talent that speaks volumes in her artwork. At the age of 96, she continues to share her talent for watercolor painting through beautifully designed stationery cards. I was honored to meet Ann and interview her so I could learn more about how she became a watercolor artist and how she brought her cards to the Golden Door Country Store in San Marcos, California.
Just like many artists, Ann’s creativity started at a young age with a head full of imagination and the excitement to explore further. As a child, Ann enjoyed drawing, which led her mom to buy her coloring books and paper dolls. Playing with her paper dolls was so much fun for Ann that it inspired her to make her own paper dolls to play with and style. With such a creative mind, it’s no surprise her imagination would take over! Between junior high school and high school, Ann pursued drawing and ceramic classes so she could expand her creativity. Once Ann set off to college, she began studying to become a teacher. Her first teaching job started with her teaching 2nd graders. She enjoyed teaching children and showing them how they can let their imagination run free. What Ann loved doing the most as a teacher was putting up her students’ artwork to be displayed in her classroom so that each student could see the beauty in their talent. She hoped to inspire her students to pursue their dreams of creativity, the more they practiced. After getting married, Ann looked into taking an oil painting class. Ann's interest in oil painting became more apparent the more she attended her class. However, after taking several art classes over the years, Ann realized watercolor painting was and still is her favorite art to focus on.
Another creative outlet Ann found pleasing was gardening. In her garden of serenity, Ann cultivated a diverse array of flowers, including roses, baby’s breath, coneflower, delphinium, eucalyptus, hydrangeas, lavender, statice, strawflowers, and yarrow. With such radiant flowers growing in her garden, Ann found joy in painting the flowers she was growing, and it also inspired her to make wreaths out of the dried flowers she was collecting. Ann’s wreaths first began as a fun hobby for her to decorate her front door for each season and holiday. When Ann's neighbors and close friends showed their admiration for her wreaths, she made the decision to start a small business. After selling wreaths, Ann realized she could offer other works of art. To demonstrate the versatility of her artwork, Ann would sell her watercolor paintings in addition to the wreaths. Having these creative outlets was important to Ann because it brought her joy seeing other people appreciate her creations.
When Ann and her late husband had the opportunity to travel, she would take cruises on the Queen Elizabeth 2, an English ship. While visiting such memorable places, Ann would take the time to paint the beautiful landscapes in a journal. This encouraged Ann's beloved husband to write thoughtful captions for her paintings, transforming them into treasured mementos. Due to her frequent travels with her husband, Ann purchased more diaries to document the stunning views she experienced on the 13 cruises she visited. Upon returning from their travels, Ann's friends and relatives would ask to flip through her journal so they could admire the beautiful sights she had painted. These journals are sacred for Ann because they hold special memories, and maybe one day we’ll be lucky enough to see them, but for now, they remain with Ann for safekeeping.
Ann’s garden was just one of many locations that inspired her to paint flowers and enjoy the beauty of nature. When Ann and her previous husband retired, they moved to Fallbrook, a small town known for its tight-knit community and beautiful gardens and hiking trails. While Ann was getting more familiar with Fallbrook, she began searching for groups of women she could join and was successful in finding 9 other women who also enjoyed painting and being outside. These 10 artistic women collectively named themselves the Monday Pleine Aire painters because of their love for painting outdoors in the atmosphere. One of their favorite places to look for inspiration and to spend time with each other was Fallbrook’s famous Myrtle Creek Botanical Gardens & Nursery. This hidden gem was known for its oak trees and park-like environment. With how often Ann and her group of Pleine Aire painters would spend time at the nursery, they became very close with the owners to the point that the nursery would allow the painters to put up an art show each year for 14 years. This was an opportunity for Ann and her friends to showcase each of their unique paintings to be purchased. The event grew so popular that the painters were the talk of the town in their local newspapers! For 30 years, these women gathered together each year, sharing their love for painting outdoors with one another and continue to do so today, with only 8 of the Monday Pleine Aire painters left.
So how did Ann bring her artwork to the Golden Door Country Store? One day, when Ann was driving home to Fallbrook, she noticed a small farmstand off of Deer Springs Road and made a stop to see what they were selling. That is when she met our outstanding Country Store Ambassador Scott Steindorf. During their conversation regarding the store's other offerings, Ann mentioned to Scott that she creates watercolor stationery cards and asked if the country store would be interested in carrying them. After Scott discussed this new idea with the country store’s team, they agreed that Ann Kreile's exquisitely crafted cards would be a great addition to the country store! If you’re lucky, you can sometimes get the chance to meet Ann in person when she drops off her cards to the store. Make sure you say hello and see what other fun stories she will tell you!
