Today we visited Elizabeth Huey’s studio in Brooklyn during Douglas Ross’s class. You can view Huey’s work on her website http://www.elizabethhuey.com, or on artnet http://www.artnet.com/artist/423861713/elizabeth-huey.html She has a style all her own, drawing ideas from an assortment of sources: master paintings, European and American history, mental illness, old dictionaries and old publications, which sets Huey apart from many artists who often seek inspiration from modern era works. She mixes neon colors with darker tones; experiments with different painting effects and techniques; and uses masking tape during the process of creating a painting that finds itself in her final products. And even when she has “finished” a painting for a show or after a collector has bought a painting, she will often go back to rework and often completely change the painting dramatically.
It was really refreshing to talk to a painter because I find that many painters
have often moved on to sculpture or digital works. Seeing that Huey has found ways to be innovative with painting and still make intriguing and provocative artwork was great for me because I had been thinking about how, to me, painting can be one of the most limiting art mediums because of the history that is attached to the art form and the limitations of its paint-on-canvas element. It was also helpful to know what her experience is like as a practicing artist and businesswoman because it’s a mystery to me how to make a living after graduating from college with a BFA…or with the dream of making art as my primary source of income.