Meet Madelyn Sneed-Grays of Art By Madelyn in Denton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madelyn Sneed-Grays.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Madelyn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My mother was actually one of the first people that found out I had a talent in art. She encouraged me at a young age to keep exercising my gift. During my middle school and high school years I wasn’t only exercising my talent in art, but also in music as well. I eventually made the decision to pursue art and began being exposed to different mediums (painting, drawing, printmaking, etc.) by multiple art instructors that consistently challenged me. One of many turning points in my art journey was when an art instructor of mine made me submit my work to the Kansas City Art Institute summer program in 2007. To my surprise I was accepted.

KCAI is the reason why I use oil paint to this day. I fell in love with the medium after learning how to work with it during the summer program. I took this love that I had for oil paint and made it a primary medium I used throughout my years in college at the University of North Texas. After graduating in 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art, I moved to San Antonio and immediately got a studio at Hausmann Millworks so that I would have a space to paint for a solo show I committed to a SLANT Gallery in Dallas. Soon after, one of the owners of Hausmann Millworks, Rex Hausmann, became my mentor and exposed me to the San Antonio art scene. After a year of living in San Antonio, I moved back to the DFW area.

Fast forward to present day; I made a full time commitment to pursue my art.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In the art industry I don’t believe there is ever a “smooth road.” I was told that being in this industry requires tough skin. Your work ethic has to be crazy good and you have to get use to rejected art submissions for open calls and galleries, people telling you that your art isn’t good enough, and how one can’t possibly make a living pursuing art. All of this I’ve experience. All of this is constant fuel to my fire.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Art By Madelyn – what should we know?
I run an art business called Art By Madelyn with my mother who is my manager. I paint for various art gallery shows and offer commissions for anyone that wants their vision replicated on canvas or paper, which is dependent upon the materials I use to complete the art piece. My specialty would have to be painting food. I love how abstract food can get on canvas!

I believe what sets me a part from others is that I make sure that the viewer can see through my eyes – literally! Everything I paint is how I see color and the world around me, which I take full pride in.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe my patience and slight sense of OCD makes my art what it is. I’m a representational painter, so the detail and the craftsmanship of each piece are a few things that are important to me within a painting.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.artbymadelyn.com
• Email: artbymadelyn@yahoo.com
• Instagram: @artworkbymadelyn
• Facebook: @artbymadelyn
• Twitter: @artbymadelyn

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