Feature Friday: Artist Emma Huneck

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382241_528447627196020_1892205555_n Today we are featuring artist Emma Huneck. We love love love her style. She draws a lot of her inspiration from everyday surroundings, but we like how her technique makes typical settings almost dreamlike. After all, when was the last time you looked at cars parked on the side of the street and gave it a second thought? Looking at Emma’s pieces you remember how much beauty you can find in the ordinary. She also has a great opportunity for up and coming artists. Her and a friend are planning on opening a gallery space tailored towards young artists. We think this is a fantastic idea since there is a lot of young talent out there, which is one of the reasons we started Feature Fridays in the first place. We always love to see all the crazy creative stuff you guys are doing. Read on to find out more about Emma and how you can possibly get involved in her latest project.

: How did you first get interested in art/painting?

: I wish that I had a clear answer to this question. I can’t pinpoint a moment of my childhood when I first started making art, when I decided that it was what I wanted to study in college, or when I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life. I always just knew. It was never a decision for me, never a debate. It was just the way it was.

: What is the greatest lesson you learned while pursuing your passion?

: To stay true to yourself, and never give up on that passion. It may sound incredibly cliche, but its true. Pursuing art, more often than not, is a lot like swimming upstream. People question you. They doubt the one thing you are most passionate about. Society fixates on things that are far outside what matters most, to you. I’ve certainly had moments of uncertainty, questioning what I was doing pursuing art. But then I think: would I really be happy, doing anything else? And the answer is always no. Personally, if I gave up on art, I would lose an incredibly large part of myself. And I owe the one life I have here more than that.

: What inspires you the most?

: Everything. I am truly in awe of the earth and the world that surrounds us. My work is an extremely personal take that I have on my everyday, often quite banal surroundings.

: Who are some of your favorite artists, musicians, creatives etc.?

: To name a (very small) few: Anselm Kiefer, Jeremy Mann, Alex Kanevsky, Geoffrey Johnson, Mark Rothko, Andy Goldsworthy, David Hockney, Douglas Fryer, Brian Rutenberg, Frank Stella, Chuck Close, Jenny Seville, Lisa Noonis, Hsin Yao Tsing, Daniel Ochoa, John Wentz.

: What media do you feel most comfortable working with?

: Oil paint, and a variety of mixed media including soft acrylic gel, charcoal, conte, watercolor, gouache, and acrylic gesso. That said, I am constantly exploring new media and my list of supplies is rapidly growing.

: Is there a place where you feel you do your best work?

: This is a tough question, as the last few months for me have been what you almost could describe as a nomadic studio space. At this point, I am happiest when I have space to spread out, and music to listen to.

: How have you overcome obstacles and discouragements in your art career/schooling?

: I would never have chosen to study anything besides BFA studio art in college. But going to school for your BFA means that everyone’s all-time favorite question is some variation of, “So, you’re an art major? What are you going to do with that?” If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that during my time as an undergraduate, my college loans would be substantially lower than they are. We live in a world where art and the artists that create it are more than frequently questioned. I spent my first three years of college attempting to convince nearly everyone around me that this was, indeed, the right choice of a degree for me; by my senior year, I gave up entirely. As much as I would have loved for people to fully understand the importance of art within society, and the impact it has had upon us all, in many cases, it is simply not possible to do so. As young artists, we struggle more than enough (working to discover who we are as artists while we navigate our way through this very fickle art world, and finding exactly what mold we fit into once we’re actually there), and the additional and rather exhausting task of explaining myself as a young artist is simply not worth it to me anymore.

: What did you like most about studying art in college?

: Studying art in college is the absolute dream. I mean that. Until you make it as a working artist, it is the only time in your life that you have to fully dedicate yourself to your practice. I practically lived at the studio. You have every single resource you need, right at your fingertips, all of the time. You are constantly surrounded by like-minded individuals, and nearly all of your friends are young artists, like yourself. You work with incredible mentors that want nothing more than to help you grow and succeed. I could go on and on. There’s a reason why people go on for their MFA and become professors. Who in their right mind would ever leave that environment?

: Where do you see your art career going? Biggest dreams?

: Obviously, the ultimate dream is to become a working artist, and completely live off of your work. I would love nothing more than to get to that point. In the meantime, my best friend and I are laying the groundwork to open a gallery, Two Circle Gallery. Both young artists hoping to one day live off of our art, our mission is simple: Established by young artists, for young artists. We’re going to be featuring and representing up-and-coming artists who are looking to connect in the art world whilst establishing themselves as working artists. Ultimately, we hope to become an institution that is frequented when looking for new, blossoming talent. While we work on locking down funding for a gallery space, we’re hoping to launch an online version of our gallery within a few weeks.

Here’s a brief chance for me to propagate for Two Circle: if you are or know a young artist who would be interested in being featured or learning more about being featured on our gallery’s website for our launch date, please contact us at twocirclegallery@gmail.com! We would love to hear from you and see your art!

: Tell us a little bit about who you are.

: I am an art history obsessor, entrepreneur, museum and gallery enthusiast, avid reader, oldest child, art appreciator, sister, outdoors[wo]man, TV series binge-watcher, world traveler, baker, animal mother, Pixar lover, tea drinker and west coast loving artist.

: Any advice?

: I said it before, and I’ll say it again: don’t give up on your dream, whatever that may be. Don’t walk away because it seems too difficult. If you are really passionate, you will take the struggle in stride and move on positively from it. Learn from it, grow from it. Chances are, doing what you are passionate about will make you happier than anything else you could possibly do. And why would you waste time doing anything besides that?