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Angie Huffman was born and raised near Dallas, Texas. She graduated from the University of North Texas with a BFA in Drawing and Painting in 2010. The school’s focus on contemporary and postmodernist work challenged her to find a way to act on her attraction to realism and portraiture while avoiding banality.
After critical evaluation, Huffman relocated to Eastern Iowa in 2014. Less time spent in traffic has translated to more time to focus on producing her photorealist work.
Her paintings have been exhibited in shows throughout the United States, and are included in the permanent collection of the Yellowstone Art Museum, as well as private collections in Texas and the Midwest.
After critical evaluation, Huffman relocated to Eastern Iowa in 2014. Less time spent in traffic has translated to more time to focus on producing her photorealist work.
Her paintings have been exhibited in shows throughout the United States, and are included in the permanent collection of the Yellowstone Art Museum, as well as private collections in Texas and the Midwest.
Published on March 23rd, 2022. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
I am excited to see what is going to happen. I have a few different ideas and directions on the table and am not quite sure where I am going to go next. I am about to start the fourth (and probably final) piece in the first intentional mini-series I have done, and two of the three already completed pieces have sold before the group could be hung together, so that concept/risk was an encouraging success.
I plan to try painting on linen for the first time soon. I am eager to see how that feels.
I am also looking forward to seeing the community’s response to a show coming up soon (and mentioned again in a bit). I think their feedback will help inform where my work heads next.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
My main challenge continued to be balancing competing demands on my time. I still have a full-time job, I had some medical things come up, I am still working to get my residence patched up from the derecho (damaging storm) last year, and a few of my cats have been needing higher levels of care. Through it all, I try to stay focused on what my underlying goals are (essentially, to paint), but try to be accepting of the situation and of my being a mere human as well.
The main influence the pandemic had in relation to my work this year was continuing to restrict what shows I felt safe participating in. I did decide to apply to a show at Yellowstone Art Museum in Montana that would be up in the summer thinking the pandemic would have lessened by then, but that did not really come to pass. As a result, an opportunity/excuse to spend some time checking out a new state turned into a few brief trips with minimal exploration. Everything worked out well though, and the museum gave my piece in the show a purchase award, which was a great honor.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
I am not sure if there is a consistent time of day. Time of the week wise it is on the weekends unless I have time off from my day job.
My must-haves are my LED worklamp, my cushioned shoes that are studio-specific (so I will never again track paint through the rest of the house), and copious water to drink. Usually a little of a chocolate milk-alternative too.
I am almost always listening to something. I listen to a lot of k-pop, a lot of podcasts, and a couple of the weekly-regenerating Spotify playlists. If Spotify’s fees were calculated from the amount someone listened, I would be broke.
My space is a room in my house that is 70% studio and 30% closet. (I was not focused on closet space when I bought this house. Turns out there isn’t much. Whoops.) My large paintings lean against two walls with the smaller ones stacked on top. My easel and painting carts are next to my lizard’s terrarium. The door to the room stays closed to keep curious cats and their fur out. I am working incrementally to fill the walls with art-related and motivating things.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
I feel like there are more and more groups and publications and podcasts everyday that profess to be resources for artists. Personally, I gravitate towards museums and their programming, as well as local art organizations and those at the state level. It does seem like even small areas tend to have an art organization or two waiting to be interacted with. All of these provide opportunities to meet other artists and art supporters, which is often rewarding and encouraging. Who doesn’t love making another new positive connection?
Separately, this is by no means specific to artists, but I highly recommend investing in a subscription to a reputable newspaper or news organization. Having broad access to accurate information is invaluable and helps keep one anchored in the present. I know for me personally, being based in a smaller city, having a subscription to a newspaper from a larger area helps keep me on the pulse of the events and culture of the country at large.
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
Right at the beginning of 2022, I am going to have a solo show at Hudson River Gallery in Coralville, Iowa (just a bit north of the University of Iowa). While I have been fortunate to be in a variety of shows throughout the state of Iowa and the country, thus far, there has not been a lot of opportunity for the people where I live to see one of the shows in person. I am very grateful to have one close enough that they should be able to make it, and to have the space that they should be able to view a good survey of my work as well. I am also very much looking forward to meeting more of the people within the local art community. I have been living in the area for almost eight years now, but I think I am still somewhat under the radar.
What are you currently excited about in your art practice?
I am excited to see what is going to happen. I have a few different ideas and directions on the table and am not quite sure where I am going to go next. I am about to start the fourth (and probably final) piece in the first intentional mini-series I have done, and two of the three already completed pieces have sold before the group could be hung together, so that concept/risk was an encouraging success.
I plan to try painting on linen for the first time soon. I am eager to see how that feels.
I am also looking forward to seeing the community’s response to a show coming up soon (and mentioned again in a bit). I think their feedback will help inform where my work heads next.
What were some of the challenges you faced last year as an artist? Was your work/ art practice affected by the pandemic this year, if so how?
My main challenge continued to be balancing competing demands on my time. I still have a full-time job, I had some medical things come up, I am still working to get my residence patched up from the derecho (damaging storm) last year, and a few of my cats have been needing higher levels of care. Through it all, I try to stay focused on what my underlying goals are (essentially, to paint), but try to be accepting of the situation and of my being a mere human as well.
The main influence the pandemic had in relation to my work this year was continuing to restrict what shows I felt safe participating in. I did decide to apply to a show at Yellowstone Art Museum in Montana that would be up in the summer thinking the pandemic would have lessened by then, but that did not really come to pass. As a result, an opportunity/excuse to spend some time checking out a new state turned into a few brief trips with minimal exploration. Everything worked out well though, and the museum gave my piece in the show a purchase award, which was a great honor.
What does a typical day in the studio (or wherever you're making work) look like for you these days? What time of day are you at your studio, what are your studio must haves (ex: music, coffee, tools, etc), and what does your creative space look like?
I am not sure if there is a consistent time of day. Time of the week wise it is on the weekends unless I have time off from my day job.
My must-haves are my LED worklamp, my cushioned shoes that are studio-specific (so I will never again track paint through the rest of the house), and copious water to drink. Usually a little of a chocolate milk-alternative too.
I am almost always listening to something. I listen to a lot of k-pop, a lot of podcasts, and a couple of the weekly-regenerating Spotify playlists. If Spotify’s fees were calculated from the amount someone listened, I would be broke.
My space is a room in my house that is 70% studio and 30% closet. (I was not focused on closet space when I bought this house. Turns out there isn’t much. Whoops.) My large paintings lean against two walls with the smaller ones stacked on top. My easel and painting carts are next to my lizard’s terrarium. The door to the room stays closed to keep curious cats and their fur out. I am working incrementally to fill the walls with art-related and motivating things.
What resources for artists have you found helpful that may be helpful for other artists?
I feel like there are more and more groups and publications and podcasts everyday that profess to be resources for artists. Personally, I gravitate towards museums and their programming, as well as local art organizations and those at the state level. It does seem like even small areas tend to have an art organization or two waiting to be interacted with. All of these provide opportunities to meet other artists and art supporters, which is often rewarding and encouraging. Who doesn’t love making another new positive connection?
Separately, this is by no means specific to artists, but I highly recommend investing in a subscription to a reputable newspaper or news organization. Having broad access to accurate information is invaluable and helps keep one anchored in the present. I know for me personally, being based in a smaller city, having a subscription to a newspaper from a larger area helps keep me on the pulse of the events and culture of the country at large.
What in your art career are you looking forward to in the upcoming year? Do you have any specific goals or projects in mind?
Right at the beginning of 2022, I am going to have a solo show at Hudson River Gallery in Coralville, Iowa (just a bit north of the University of Iowa). While I have been fortunate to be in a variety of shows throughout the state of Iowa and the country, thus far, there has not been a lot of opportunity for the people where I live to see one of the shows in person. I am very grateful to have one close enough that they should be able to make it, and to have the space that they should be able to view a good survey of my work as well. I am also very much looking forward to meeting more of the people within the local art community. I have been living in the area for almost eight years now, but I think I am still somewhat under the radar.
Find Angie Huffman on Instagram
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