Mother-and-Daughter Artists are Each Other's Most Trusted Critics
- Monmouth Arts
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Eva Marie Faith and Ann Marie Fitzsimmons are members of Monmouth Arts and the first featured artists in our 2026 lineup of ArtSpace exhibitions. Their exhibit – Nature vs. Nurture – will be on display from January 22 - February 27, 2026. You can meet the artists in person at their opening reception on January 30, from 5:30 to 8:00pm.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Mother-and-daughter artists Eva Marie Faith and Ann Marie Fitzsimmons, have both chosen lives rooted in painting, teaching, family, and the pursuit of meaningful creative practice. While their subject matter and styles differ, the artists share a deep mutual respect and serve as each other’s most trusted critics—colleagues both in the studio and the classroom.
Faith pushes her work through deliberate cropping, rotation, and simplification of subjects drawn from her own photographs—though the paintings will never truly be abstract. She graduated with highest honors from Pratt Institute in 2015 with a BFA in Painting. She exhibits and sells her work in juried shows locally and across the United States.
Fitzsimmons’ style is realism, yet her compositions intentionally border on the geometric. She graduated with honors from Montclair State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art. Her work has been exhibited in juried shows across the United States.
A CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTISTS
For those who aren't familiar with you, tell us a little about you and your work.
Eva Marie: I consider myself to be a modern precisionist painter. I find architecture and use it as a tool to create a composition that is effective with a realistic but also abstract sense. I am especially drawn to buildings that are under construction so as to memorialize a temporary state that will never be seen again. I paint with acrylics—typically on small Masonite panels but occasionally on canvas for larger works—this lends itself best to my emphasis on angles, straight edges, and skinny lines. Outside of my own painting, I am a teacher at Around the Corner Art Center, which is the best job in the world.
Ann Marie: I have been painting images of vacant chairs and benches for 40 years. They are benches I come across while out walking. I am drawn to the fact that a chair or bench is capable of changing a person’s personality. For example, one would sit on a throne differently than on a metal folding chair. I also teach painting and drawing classes at the Around the Corner Art Center in Freehold. I have been there for 30 years.
Give one example of a way you hope your art can make a difference or impact someone.
Eva Marie: This is always a hard question—I think there is so much room for interpretation in what impact art can have on the viewer. I hope my paintings can inspire others to see the world in a less straightforward way and always be looking for their own unique perspective on what we may overlook. More importantly, I hope that my teaching can have an impact, besides I know how satisfying it feels to create art and I hope others are able to find that satisfaction for themselves.
Ann Marie: My hope is for others to pause once in a while, take a seat, and look out at our natural world.
Can you share something about your artistic process that would surprise people?
Eva Marie: People who know me may already know this, but I think most folks would be surprised by how fast I work. I care about my paintings being technically done and have clean lines, but I’m the kind of person who can sit down for just one night and finish the whole thing. I’m not one to perseverate on what I’m doing—I have a clear vision from the start and just go for it. I’m not confident in everything in life, but I am confident in how I want my paintings to look.
Ann Marie: When I use photos for reference, I precisely crop images so as to create a somewhat staid composition, in which veils or layers of color are methodically applied.
What is a piece of advice that you would give to someone pursuing or getting started in this creative field?
Eva Marie: My best advice is to just go for it! Even if that means hustling with a bunch of different odd jobs, it’s worth it to do something you love. I have seen too many students get talked out of careers in the arts for fear that they are not going to make enough money, but the world always needs artists and if you want to make it happen you will find a way. I’ve never found myself lacking in work, if anything I’ve been too busy sometimes compared to a classic 9 to 5 job!
Ann Marie: Draw or paint a tiny piece of the world around you every day. Even for just a few moments.
Where can people find out more about you and support your work?
Eva Marie: You can visit our website – Around the Corner Art Center – and see our teacher pages which include some artwork and resumes. You can find mine here. The Facebook for Around the Corner will also keep anyone up to date with current exhibits and openings we have going on. You can also follow me on instagram @evamarie_artist where I post some paintings.
Ann Marie: Visit the Around the Corner Art Center in Freehold, either in person or at Around the Corner Art Center or find me on Instagram @am.everlong.
Eva Marie Faith and Ann Marie Fitzsimmons’ art is currently on display at ArtSpace for the Nature vs. Nurture exhibit. Learn more about the exhibit and gallery hours here. ArtSpace exhibits are free and open to the public.
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