New Orleans Artist Debbie Boyd Hageman Looks to Mother Nature

The balance of cool and bold work perfectly in artist Debbie Boyd Hageman’s work. All images courtesy of Debbie Boyd Hageman.

New Orleans-based artist Debbie Boyd Hageman has always looked to mother nature for inspiration, solace and refuge. From the time she was a little girl out in the garden with her mother, helping to grow their vegetables, to photographing and painting outdoors in her beloved New Orleans, Boyd Hageman finds her creativity flows best when outside.

“I look at the landscape and I see something new every time,” says Boyd Hageman. She paints big, bold, colorful abstract paintings for commercial and retail clients around the globe.

The Philly native spent a good chunk of her childhood in the state of Indiana. In her early 20s, she headed south to Florida, where she began her artistic career. Though she had always painted and briefly spent time in college art classes, it wasn’t until the then 20-something hit the Sunshine state that she was able to sell her paintings and confirm she could be successful as an artist.

Her use of both bright and muted colors, often together, is part of what makes her art so appealing. Though she does sell smaller pieces so that her art is accessible at all price points, Boyd Hageman mostly creates larger pieces that can stand on their own. “I tend to express myself best using large-scale canvases,” she says.

Deep, dark colors from artist Debbie Boyd Hageman work well in a monotone room.

Freedom of expression

For this busy artist and mom, it truly is all about expression.

“Sometimes I hate a piece, then I love it, then I hate it. Eventually, I come to a place where I can stop working on it, which is where I love it again,” she says with a laugh. Though she works to keep the artistic temperament to a minimum, Boyd Hageman jokes she’s been known to throw a piece outside on the ground when completely unsatisfied. “I usually go pick it up later and get back to work on it.”

The prolific painter is also a talented cook who makes most of her family meals daily – and from scratch. Working as an artist has allowed her to spend more time with her husband and two children. Her family also loves the outdoors. Often, they will walk the levee overlooking the Mississippi River. The scenic walk is just a few hundred feet from her front door in the Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans. It’s that kind of freedom she finds most appealing.

“I love that I make my own schedule, set my own rules and can truly be myself,” she says.

New Orleans-based contemporary artist Debbie Boyd Hageman in her studio.

The creative process

The artist has set up a studio in her home and posts pictures of her process almost daily. Many collectors buy their pieces directly from Boyd Hageman through her social media channels. She says those channels are like a virtual art gallery and she has a huge appreciation for them. Some artists she follows and admires on Instagram are Adam Handler, Eileen Noonan and Joseph Conrad-Ferm, as well as many others.

The busy artist also sells her pieces at various art galleries and artistic spaces such as the Broad Theater. Plus, she sells at local hotels like the Old 77 Hotel through the curated collection from Where Y’Art. She also has pieces in the permanent collections of The Jung Hotel, Pigeon and Price and The Brent House Transplant Institute.

On days when her schedule and mother nature align, the natural beauty will pack up her paintings and her gear and head to the famous French Quarter. There, she often sets up shop in Jackson Square with a multitude of other talented artists.

“It’s a real community of people who take care of one another,” she says. She adds that she learns a great deal from her contemporaries on everything from the location of the best parking spaces to easy ways to haul canvases and equipment through the busy streets.

For more information on Debbie Boyd Hageman, visit her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

The post New Orleans Artist Debbie Boyd Hageman Looks to Mother Nature appeared first on Freshome.com.

Artist Heather Gauthier Makes Art of Beauty and Wildlife

San Antonio artist Heather Gauthier captures the beauty and whimsy of our love of animals. Photo courtesy of Heather Gauthier

Artist Heather Gauthier doesn’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t creating things. From her childhood days as an imaginative, home-schooled “weirdo” growing up in Lubbock, Texas to her early married life living in South Africa, Gauthier has been sketching and painting scenes of beauty and wildlife her entire life.

“There wasn’t much to do or see in Lubbock, the flattest, ugliest, cowiest town in West Texas. It meant my inner life was a lot richer,” Gauthier says. Both she and her brother are artists. She attributes their artistry to the fact that both of them had to rely on their imaginations for stimulation.

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder

A dining room is illuminated with a piece of art from artist Heather Gauthier. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Though she took art classes briefly at Texas Tech (“I left running and shrieking for the hills, far, far away from Lubbock”), Gauthier has mostly been self-taught. Years of practice helped her hone her craft and find her voice as an artist. Her goal is to make art that is beautiful and that makes people happy. With pieces often featuring flora and fauna in exploding colors, Gauthier creates pictures that have a whimsical depiction of life and beauty.

“I am all about beauty. I create art that depicts a reality I wish was real,” she says.

Lions, tigers and bears, along with hippos, zebras and birds of every variety, are often the subjects of Gauthier’s art. Though the animals themselves are gorgeous and glorious and regal, Gauthier often lightens the mood of the painting by adding beautiful bouquets of flowers, hats, beads and other adornments on her subjects. Her art is playful and done with a sense of humor, despite her subject matters being serious creatures.

“I take pride in my work but I can’t take myself too seriously,” she says.

Playing the Artist Card

A client is dressed in black and white to complement her Heather Gauthier original. Photo courtesy of artist Heather Gauthier.

Asked what the best thing about being an artist is, Gauthier responds with “my Artist Card.”

“Why am I wearing hot dogs in my hair? Artist. Why does my house look like multiple factory explosions? Artist. Why can I never remember to sign my kids’ homework? Artist.”

Her offbeat sense of humor resonates with a particular audience and Gauthier has grown a following particularly in San Antonio, her current home base, along with a few other cities like Napa and Aspen. However, she says that New Orleans is her “artistic mothership” and it is there that she has been the most successful.

“People get me there and I deeply appreciate it. I paint the things I do for all the same reasons that I love New Orleans,” says Gauthier. Her work can be found at Gallery Orange on Royal Street in the French Quarter.

“I think the unusual and unique fun spirit of her work fits well into Nola, plus her love for anything flowery, joie de vivre and love of food all resonate with people here,” says Tracy Gielbert of Gallery Orange.

Work and Life Balance

Artist Heather Gauthier has a collection of homewares for sale on her website. Photo courtesy of Heather Gauthier.

Speaking of fitting, as a mother of two young children, Gauthier balances being a parent and an artist and paints in great bursts when her schedule allows. Sometimes, she says, she’ll let her kids pass some time in front of the television and work at a furious pace while they’re otherwise engaged. Often, she paints once they’ve headed off to bed. With school back in session, Gauthier plans to spend more time in her studio and on her easel.

The fall of 2018 will be a busy time for the adventure-seeking traveler. She’s working on a book cover for Harper Collins, a line of china and home linens and larger shows in San Antonio and New Orleans. Despite clocking in many hours painting, Gauthier says one of her goals this year is to take a little more time to just relax and ease up on her pace.

“I really want to chill some more this year,” she says. Gauthier has, to date, packed her schedule with events, launches and lots more painting. Her love for the creative process and painting means she will continue to produce works that will entice fans to keep buying her art – and will undoubtedly keep her busy.

The post Artist Heather Gauthier Makes Art of Beauty and Wildlife appeared first on Freshome.com.