Ashley West  2024

I first met Anna 25 years ago. I had taken a group of sixth formers on an art trip to St Ives. It was our last day, and I popped into the Salthouse Gallery where Anna was working. We fell into conversation and both knew straight away that something wonderful had taken place. For a year or so following I would drive down every few weeks from London, and we would share magical times together – walks in Porthcurno, Mousehole and so on. She was such a beautiful woman and we were enraptured by what had happened between us.

Alas our circumstances proved too difficult for things to develop any further. Anna was overwhelmed by it all, and she knew she had to keep life simple for her and her daughter Florence. We lost touch – but then, after 25 years, I found her again. We exchanged messages, then long phone calls, and laughed at the prospect of meeting up, given that so much water had passed under the bridge. We thought we’d maybe survive a cup of coffee and then beat a hasty retreat, but in fact it was as if no time had passed at all. It was a miracle and we wondered what we had done to deserve such happiness at this time in our lives.

Anna had gone through difficult traumas in her life which had left her with Labyrinthitis (debilitating loss of balance, anxiety and fluctuating energy levels), but she had also grown, blossomed even, and was just as beautiful as ever, though she would never believe that. She loved conversation and would weave the most delightful stories about her past, her family and the ordinary people she met – taxi drivers, shop keepers, doctors. She had such a musical voice, and the most lyrical way of talking - I could listen to her forever.

I moved to Helston, just down the road from Anna in Praa Sands. It was a pleasure to be in the background while she wove her images of 'the string of hearts' and related narratives together for her MA in Illustration and authorial Practice at Falmouth School of Art. It took real courage and perseverance for her to complete the course and she did so with such quality and elegance. We were all so proud of her for achieving a Distinction.

Anna wasn’t just beautiful, she had a mind that could follow the most challenging ideas in literature, art, psychology and politics. Yet when it came to human relationships she knew the importance of listening and simply being kind. She felt everything so acutely. She was constantly trying to process what she had been through, and any difficulties family and friends were experiencing, let alone the turmoil in the world. It was for this reason that she knew that simply to survive, she needed to keep her feet on the ground, planning her days, and managing her time and energy meticulously. Her garden was her canvas, subject to endless well thought out schemes, and it was a pleasure to be there to help make some of them come to fruition, not least the potting shed she always dreamed of, which we installed last summer.