Meet Austin Howlett

Today we’re excited to be connecting with Austin Howlett again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Austin , we are so thrilled to be connecting again and can’t wait to hear about all the amazing things you have been up to. Before we jump into all of that, some of our readers might have missed our prior interview, so can you take a moment to reintroduce yourself?
I am an oil painter specializing in surreal figurative imagery, a genre that is often referred to as Imaginative Realism. At the center of my work is my Terra Human series in which I blend humans with nature in order to explore concepts such as emotional vulnerability, empathy and self-reflection. With my paintings I hope to illustrate our primal relationship with nature and how the plants, animals and landscapes that surround us can give us insights into our truest selves.

My work is set apart from others because of the level of realism that I achieve in each surreal, dream-like painting. Every subtle detail that I choose to include is meant to ease the viewer into accepting this otherworldly reality, hopefully allowing them to let their guard down and reflect on what emotions the painting brings to the surface. I feel very fortunate that the people who most enjoy my work truly appreciate the level of care I put into each and every painting and read my descriptions for each artwork with an open mind.

In the last few years there have been several contributing factors to my growth. The first of which has been gaining gallery experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with several galleries and these experiences pushed me to a new level by having me create work within specific deadlines, come up with new ideas quickly and create work catered to a show theme. In addition these shows introduced my artwork to a wider audience and therefore brought new art collectors to my work.

The second pillar of my growth has been a sequence of meaningful and challenging commissions. I have been incredibly lucky to have had new clients periodically reach out to me with vivid visions of a custom painting that would have a deep significance to them. From portraits of past loved ones, to a bear in the forest symbolizing our deepest fears, the excitement of these clients genuinely inspired me to create some of my best work in order to fulfill their beautiful visions. With every project I was honored to be chosen as the artist to bring their ideas to life.

The final pillar of my of this journey has been social media growth. Since my first Shout Out interview in 2021 I have gained over 90,000 new followers on Instagram. This surge in growth has shown my artwork to more people than I ever could have imagined while also leading to more sales of my work. Even though nothing beats meeting people in person and talking to them about my paintings, it has genuinely warmed my heart to read some of the comments and messages from complete strangers telling me how my art has given them hope.

Great, so let’s jump into an update on what you have been up to since we last spoke. What can you share with us?
At the moment I am enjoying creating a few big paintings (approximately 3×4 feet) showcasing some new ideas that I’ve been really excited to create for a few months now. For the last few years I haven’t had enough time to pursue bigger projects like this except for commissions but I really wanted to scale up my Terra Human paintings in particular. It’s been really enjoyable to work on these longer projects with no hard deadlines just guided by my inspiration and love for painting.

In September of this year I was so honored to see that my paintings “Choosing Light” and “Sanctuary” were both selected as semi-finalists in the 17th International ARC Salon Competition. This salon received over 5000 entries from 87 countries and I was honored to have my paintings on this list. And in November I was even more excited to find out that my painting “Sanctuary” made it to the next round as a finalist in the competition. I was also notified around the same time that I was in consideration for an award in this competition as well. The ARC Salon is the largest and most prestigious competition in the world for realist contemporary artists and it feels absolutely incredible even been recognized by it.

In the next year I’m hoping to continue making these bigger paintings as they are a great way to push my skills and showcase my eye for details. I am also planning on reaching out to a few new galleries that I’ve always wanted to work with and seeing what opportunities might arise from that. And lastly want to continue to expand my reach on social media as it’s proven to be a great resource for finding new collectors and making new friends.

Alright, so let’s do something a bit more fast-paced and lighthearted. We call this our lightning round and we’ll ask you a few quick questions.

Favorite Movie: How to Train Your Dragon trilogy

Favorite Book: The Last Airbender: The Rise of Kyoshi books 1 and 2

Favorite TV Show: Avatar the Last Airbender

Favorite Band or Artist: Taylor Swift

Sweet or Savory: Savory

Mountains or Beach: Beach for relaxing, mountains for adventure.

Favorite Sport (to watch): Volleyball

Favorite Sport (to play): Volleyball

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): My favorites were diving, volleyball, dance and gymnastics

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: A coach or a teacher

French Fries or Onion Rings: French fries

Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: My dad watches “Billions” so I would ask him

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Arthur

Favorite Childhood movie: My Neighbor Totoro

Favorite Breakfast Food: Breakfast tacos

When you look back on your life, what are three things you expect to be proud of?
When I eventually look back on my life I expect to be proud of my unwavering embrace of my authentic self. Ever since I was young I have had a distinct knack for passionately pursuing the things that I loved for almost no regard for anyone else’s opinion. That’s not to say that I have NEVER worried about others opinions, but my intense love for whatever interest I was pursuing always seemed to take precedence over other people’s opinions. This has allowed me to discover myself through my interests, gaining self-knowledge and confidence through my passions. In my 31 years on this earth I’ve found passions for painting, drawing, dance, volleyball, diving, martial arts, acting and many more and not one time did I doubt my love for them because of someone else’s opinion. I always told myself that if I excelled enough in a particular area of interest then my undeniable skill would silence any critics. I have always expressed myself through my passions and I think I will always be proud of that fact.

Along the same vein, another thing that I think I would be proud of when looking back is my dedication to developing skills. Something that is just inherent to who I am is that I am a very skill oriented person and when I find something that I am passionate about I can get obsessed with honing that craft as much as I can. And when I made the connection in college that art and the concept of creativity can be exercised and refined like anything else I unknowingly started a lifelong journey of developing my creative skills as a means to connect with others.

The final thing I think I would be proud of is that way I have treated other people throughout my life. I sometimes feel like we live in a world that prioritizes getting ahead by pushing others down and that has never felt right for me. I have always approached anyone I meet with kindness and respect as a means to connect and build a relationship even if that relationship is momentary. You never know what kind of hardship or challenges a person is going through so I always keep this concept in the back of my mind when meeting someone new or maintaining a long friendship. People are fluid, we are always changing and growing from moment to moment and I like to think I have a knack for reading people and meeting them where they’re at in this moment, never assuming and never criticizing without all of the facts.

Website: https://Austinhowlett.com

Instagram: @austin.howlett_art

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