Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Huff
Hi Laurie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As a child, I could spend hours examining the wonders of nature, especially while exploring on my grandparents’ farm in rural Iowa. While growing up in West Texas, I fell in love with the giant skies and intense sunsets against the flat desert planes. After a twenty year career in public art education, I now create nature inspired abstract paintings that capture the mood and feel of a place through the use of expressive marks and textures.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
During my time as a Mesquite ISD public school art teacher and district Fine Arts Facilitator, it was very difficult to find the time, energy, and headspace for my personal art practice. I created just enough to keep up my skills and quench the need to create. Once I had the freedom to paint full time with a focus on abstract art, I experienced a definite learning curve. I began taking workshops and classes both local and abroad to explore different media and techniques and devoted more time to being in the studio. I’m now more confident in my work, have won numerous awards, am represented by a gallery, and have been juried into art festivals such as Main Street Fort Worth and Cottonwood.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an abstract painter inspired by the human connection with nature. Travelling to beautiful places is a passion of mine and a common theme in my artwork. My work can be described as colorful, loose and expressive and contains multiple heavily textured layers. My latest work is primarily in oil and cold wax medium along with a variety of drawing media and sometimes collage. I love it when people recognize that a painting is mine before ever seeing the label! I feel that my own personal style and voice is now coming through in my work, and I love sharing a sense of time and place with others.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
As we know, being an artist can be an isolating profession so I encourage all artists to find a local art group or community to meet and socialize with other supportive, likeminded artists. It’s both fun and educational sharing processes and tips of the trade with each other. I have also found a very supportive online community and have become friends with artists thousands of miles away. We meet virtually to seek advice, share, and to bounce ideas off each other.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lauriehuffstudio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauriehuffstudio/
Image Credits
Laurie Huff
