Anna Cochran, Artist - Calera Studios

Living in multiple Texas towns really solidified my love for different parts of the state and I think that experience played a big part in influencing what I love to paint.

Growing up, my dad was a pastor, so we moved around Texas several times. I lived in Dallas, Lubbock, Austin, and Corpus Christi, TX, before moving to College Station to attend college.

My grandparents lived out in west Texas, and my visits out there opened my eyes to a landscape some Texans never get to see. In fact, the name of my Etsy shop was inspired by Calera Chapel in one of my favorite areas of the Davis mountains. It’s that west Texas landscape that really first drew my attention to the idea that my eye was seeing much more color than I was able to capture in my very basic camera, and I began to admire artists who could bring that elusive world of color to life on paper or canvas.

My mother and grandmother were both artists and loved music and literaturemy grandmother painted china, and my mother is a watercolorist (and actually, a handful of her prints are also available in my Etsy shop.) Growing up, my parents were pretty great about taking my older brothers and me to museums and galleries and concerts and plays, and cultivated in us an appreciation and passion for the arts. My parents also instilled in us a love for travel and experiencing different cultures, and that inspires my painting as well. Texas is made up of such a variety of amazing cultures which makes for an ideal inspiration to paint from.

I attended Texas A&M University in College Station and graduated with a BA in Communications. While I enjoyed my major, I generally felt more passionate about some of my literature classes. During college I really began to realize how therapeutic it was for me to write or draw my thoughts out on paper, and I preferred doing that rather than typing or using technology. My notes were always covered in doodles and drawings, and I still prefer planning out my calendar on a paper planner.

During my freshman year at A&M I began working as a barista at Sweet Eugene’s House of Java, and that is where I met my husband Josh. Sweet Eugene’s is a coffee shop with a really funky and fun atmosphere and we loved working there together. After graduation, we were married and are now blessed with our three beautiful daughters - Claire, Julianna, and Mary Ella.

For a few years, while my daughters were very young, I had a small business decorating iced sugar cookies, so that was my creative outlet. Then, after a trip to Mozambique several years ago, I picked up a paintbrush to paint memories of some of our experiences. Art became an outlet for me to work through some of the more complex emotions I felt, and I found that painting took my tangle of emotions and gave me back more clarity and joy. Once I found that feeling, I didn’t want to stop, and I’ve continued on my artistic journey since then.

My hope is that those are the things people feel when they see something I’ve created. One of my favorite aspects of art is connecting with people through it.

I mostly paint with watercolor or pastel, and occasionally acrylic. I love the challenge of working with watercolor, and I am drawn to the vivid colors and texture that can be achieved with pastel.

I find Inspiration in so many places around New Braunfels and the hill country. This area is so full of culture and history and community events that there is always something beautiful to capture. Currently I display and sell original paintings for sale in the New Braunfels Art League Gallery in downtown New Braunfels. Additionally, I offer prints for sale through my Etsy shop, where clients can also request commissions or inquire about original artwork.

New Braunfels is such a unique and special place, and so welcoming and wonderful for artists. We are truly blessed to call New Braunfels home. When my family and I moved to the area a few years ago, we were amazed by how friendly and supportive the community is, and at the same time full of so much individuality and personality. My husband and I tell each other all the time how thankful we are that we get to live here.

--Anna Cochran, Artist

Anna Cochran, Artist—Calera Studios can be reached by email at anna@calerastudios.com. Her art can be found and purchased at the New Braunfels Art League Gallery or on her Etsy Shop.