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. In 2014, after critical evaluation of her everyday life, Huffman relocated to Eastern Iowa. Her work has been included in exhibitions in Texas and throughout the Midwest.
Published on May 7th 2020. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What projects are you working on right now?
There are a lot of directions I want to head, and I have trouble selecting what long term series theme I want to commit to (if any.) I recently received positive feedback on a piece called Saturday that was sculpted by very dramatic lighting, and decided to follow that lead and focus on compositions that feature light as a central feature for a while. At the same time, I am continuing to search through my family’s dusty photographs to unearth more hoard-able source material for my photorealistic work. Digging, scanning, editing, and organizing seems to be a rewarding side project unto itself. I view my source material on computer screens, and consider the ability to zoom one of my best friends. I recently acquired an iPad Pro and am adapting to scanning to it and using Procreate for basically everything. I have absolutely no regrets thus far. I recently gave my first artist talk at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and expect to be doing more public events in the future. I am an introvert through and through and cultivating myself to be comfortable with groups of new people is definitely an ongoing endeavor.
How do you keep yourself accountable in your practice?
I keep lists for everything. There is always a master overall life to-do list. For painting I have found writing important dates on calendars helpful for keeping things straight. I keep a running list of open calls I am interested in, and another with what pieces have already been submitted to prevent double booking. When several things need to be done at one time, they get their own short term list. When I check for new show openings every other week, there is a list of where to check. I try to keep “day-job” work and non-painting life segregated to weekdays, and focus as much as possible on art on the weekends. I keep Netflix and Hulu out of the studio as I have found visual distraction slows my productivity down precipitously. Music and podcasts help keep me going. I post updates to social media and finished work to my website to keep me publicly accountable. On a personal level I set goals for how many pieces I would like to complete in a certain amount of time. The closer I get to a real or self-imposed deadline, the more fuel is fed to the fire under my feet.
How do you stay motivated to pursue your creative work?
To a large degree I just feel like it is something I need to do. There are times I ask myself why, and I do not really have an answer. I just have to. If I didn’t do it, I would feel like I wasn’t being true to myself. Though I want/need to rest, considering it makes me feel guilty because there is always so much that needs to be done. No one else is going to do it but me. I only have a limited amount of time here, and I need to do what I can while I can. In the times that I falter, I am grateful to have a very supportive partner that helps me put things back into perspective and keep moving forward. We travel to see museums and shows when we can and soak up quality art vibes- sometimes intimidating, sometimes encouraging, always good. At home, I follow people making and doing great stuff online. I also speak with a good musician friend of mine that is always juggling countless things and striving to pump out perfection. Hearing about and identifying with his process encourages me to continue with my own.
Where do you hope to be 10 years from now and what would you like to say to yourself?
I don’t want or expect to take over the world, but if I could accomplish what was needed to be a full-time artist, and remain true to myself, that would be amazing. I would like to sell more work and be able to charge prices that I feel are fair for my time and effort. I would like to regularly have solo shows, have more relationships with institutions, and generally have people that are actively interested in having my work around. I hope to be alive, to still be physically capable of making work, and above all to be happy. I guess I would say to myself: Hey. You’re still here. I hope that whatever has happened in this crazy world, you are happy. Look at all the cool stuff you’ve made. Think of all of the places you have been to, in, and the stuff you have seen. Think of the strangers that felt something in reaction to your work. Think of the great people you have known. You did it. Good job.
What projects are you working on right now?
There are a lot of directions I want to head, and I have trouble selecting what long term series theme I want to commit to (if any.) I recently received positive feedback on a piece called Saturday that was sculpted by very dramatic lighting, and decided to follow that lead and focus on compositions that feature light as a central feature for a while. At the same time, I am continuing to search through my family’s dusty photographs to unearth more hoard-able source material for my photorealistic work. Digging, scanning, editing, and organizing seems to be a rewarding side project unto itself. I view my source material on computer screens, and consider the ability to zoom one of my best friends. I recently acquired an iPad Pro and am adapting to scanning to it and using Procreate for basically everything. I have absolutely no regrets thus far. I recently gave my first artist talk at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and expect to be doing more public events in the future. I am an introvert through and through and cultivating myself to be comfortable with groups of new people is definitely an ongoing endeavor.
How do you keep yourself accountable in your practice?
I keep lists for everything. There is always a master overall life to-do list. For painting I have found writing important dates on calendars helpful for keeping things straight. I keep a running list of open calls I am interested in, and another with what pieces have already been submitted to prevent double booking. When several things need to be done at one time, they get their own short term list. When I check for new show openings every other week, there is a list of where to check. I try to keep “day-job” work and non-painting life segregated to weekdays, and focus as much as possible on art on the weekends. I keep Netflix and Hulu out of the studio as I have found visual distraction slows my productivity down precipitously. Music and podcasts help keep me going. I post updates to social media and finished work to my website to keep me publicly accountable. On a personal level I set goals for how many pieces I would like to complete in a certain amount of time. The closer I get to a real or self-imposed deadline, the more fuel is fed to the fire under my feet.
How do you stay motivated to pursue your creative work?
To a large degree I just feel like it is something I need to do. There are times I ask myself why, and I do not really have an answer. I just have to. If I didn’t do it, I would feel like I wasn’t being true to myself. Though I want/need to rest, considering it makes me feel guilty because there is always so much that needs to be done. No one else is going to do it but me. I only have a limited amount of time here, and I need to do what I can while I can. In the times that I falter, I am grateful to have a very supportive partner that helps me put things back into perspective and keep moving forward. We travel to see museums and shows when we can and soak up quality art vibes- sometimes intimidating, sometimes encouraging, always good. At home, I follow people making and doing great stuff online. I also speak with a good musician friend of mine that is always juggling countless things and striving to pump out perfection. Hearing about and identifying with his process encourages me to continue with my own.
Where do you hope to be 10 years from now and what would you like to say to yourself?
I don’t want or expect to take over the world, but if I could accomplish what was needed to be a full-time artist, and remain true to myself, that would be amazing. I would like to sell more work and be able to charge prices that I feel are fair for my time and effort. I would like to regularly have solo shows, have more relationships with institutions, and generally have people that are actively interested in having my work around. I hope to be alive, to still be physically capable of making work, and above all to be happy. I guess I would say to myself: Hey. You’re still here. I hope that whatever has happened in this crazy world, you are happy. Look at all the cool stuff you’ve made. Think of all of the places you have been to, in, and the stuff you have seen. Think of the strangers that felt something in reaction to your work. Think of the great people you have known. You did it. Good job.
Find Angie Huffman on Instagram