“Regardless of what is reflected on the canvas, form or abstraction, the image comes from a connection beyond my control. From a deeper place within me that exists in all of us. To paint the invisible. Allowing yourself to join in this dance can sometimes feel exhilarating. The pace varies each time. Thoughts that reduce the possibility of hearing beyond the intellect often distract my attention with admonitions or opinions, at best, I quickly dismiss them. Sometimes the message is heard as a whisper. Sometimes the creativity knocks so hard that the colors literally fly forward.”
“Use everything”, a wise mentor once told me (American artist Charles Bell). “Don’t wait for the right feeling or time to present itself. Use everything that comes up. That is poetry.”
Ann-Sofie Lakso (A.K.A.) Fred, is a Swedish born artist, singer, designer and entrepreneur who grew up in the northernmost part of Sweden.
Ann-Sofie arrived in New York in the early eighties. She enjoyed a successful career within fashion represented by Click and Elite Modeling Agency in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and MIKAs Stockholm. This gave her the opportunity to travel and live in many diverse places. Her journey exposed her to a wide range of cultures, art, and design. Knowledge acquired from her travel influenced her to go on to study art. She attended art and theatre classes in all four cities, foremost New York. She has acted for director David Lynch, Joe Pytka and Sir Ridley Scott among others.
She has also apprenticed for a few established artists, namely Californian artist Jeffrey Gold where the apprenticeship has gone on for well over 15 years.
She is the Designer of an upscale jewelry brand with art teacher and mentor Jeffrey Gold – J and F Jewelry – www.jandfjewelry.com represented at Maxfield LA.
Ann-Sofie owned a retail and design business called “Upstairs” located in Los Angeles for 17 years. The business served as a platform for many creative collaborations, interior design as well as product design. Upstairs quickly became the destination for a wide variety of people from most creative industries. Clients ranged from the typical pedestrian shopper to A-List celebrities, film studios/ production companies/set designers of an endless list of blockbuster films and television shows.
In addition to the product lines that Upstairs had in stock, Ann-Sofie created her own clothing label under the brandname – Fred in the US. Ann-Sofie also worked as a Creative Director for Fortune 500 companies, including The Ford Motor Company. Her primary focus there was to create and implement lifestyle and fashion products.
Parallel with her design work, painting and writing are a large part of her creative expression. Her interest for self expression on a deeper level has led her to explore in depth many aspects of the human psyche. A deep interest in history, other cultures and the individuals who have forever left an imprint on humankind is a constant source of inspiration in all her endeavours.
As a therapist, educated in the United states and Sweden, she works in multiple disciplines to access, express and identify the source of our internal emotions and thoughts; reaching beyond our intellectual defence system with meditation, painting and writing. This internal journey is translated and expressed in many aspects of her art.