Hello.

I’m an artist, writer and mother (above you can see the real me and some of my painted alter egos). I live in London, but my family farms in Devon and my heart straddles the two places. I am endlessly fascinated with ordinary life and the way people live it, which I explore in words and paint.

I have a PhD in History from Cambridge and have written two books on twentieth century utopian communities – ‘The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build a Perfect Society’ (Picador) and ‘Practical Utopia: The Many Lives of Dartington Hall’ (Cambridge University Press). The current book I am writing is on home-making – a tapestry of my own experiences and those of others writers and artists.

Alongside my writing, I paint, always in traditional media – mostly in gouache and oils. I draw inspiration from my own life, my community, the natural world, and from my book research. You can find the paintings, prints and cards I have for sale here on my website.

I share my art and research gleanings on Substack, in notes and in a monthly newsletter that weaves together my paintings with stories of the homes and habits of artists and writers. If you are after beauty and a new appreciation of the familiar, I would be honoured if you felt like joining me on my quest for both (you can do so at the bottom of the page).

Anna x

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Book cover for 'The Utopians' by Anna Neima, featuring three women in colorful dresses with arms raised, each inside a separate vertical box, with the title and author's name displayed.
Book cover titled "Practical Utopia: The Many Lives of Dartington Hall" by Anna Neima. The cover features black and white photographs of seven women in long white dresses standing in front of a stone wall with an opening and a view of a building behi
Anna Neima and two young children at a table, looking at a children's puzzle or book. The table has art supplies, tubes of paint, and a potted plant with red flowers nearby. The scene is inside a cozy home with a mirror, bookshelf.