Agnes Friedlander is our ArtResin Winner!

Congratulations to artist Agnes Friedlander, our latest ArtResin winner!  Originally from the Midwest, Agnes is a mixed-media artist based in Florida. She loves incorporating unique materials into her acrylic and watercolor paintings, including hand-cut glass and ArtResin: "I enjoy experimenting with different textures and embellishments to give my artwork an added dimension and sparkle."

Describe the type of art you create.
I create a variety of subjects, with a focus on animals, landscapes, florals, and other subjects inspired by the beauty of everyday life and nature. My work tends to have a somewhat realistic style, but I also enjoy adding my own artistic interpretation, color, texture, and personality to each piece. I love creating artwork that is both beautiful and approachable—paintings that people can connect with and imagine living with in their own homes.

Does where you are from or where you currently live influence your work?
Yes, definitely. Where I live has always influenced the subjects I paint, but I am also greatly influenced by my followers and students. I have taught both in person and online for many years, and I have always wanted to create the kinds of paintings people would be excited to display in their homes.

When I lived in the Midwest, I was naturally drawn to Midwestern animals, landscapes, and seasonal themes. Now that I live in Florida, I find myself inspired by the colors and beauty of my new surroundings. Coastal themes, flamingos, palm trees, sunsets, tropical flowers, and the vibrant colors of Florida are finding their way into my work. It's been exciting to see how a change in environment can open up an entirely new source of inspiration.

Are you a full-time artist or do you create around working hours?
Yes, I have been a full time artist since 2015.

What is your art background? Are you self-taught or did you study art?
I'm actually both. I've been an artist for as long as I can remember, and from a very young age I knew that creating art would eventually become my career. I studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago and went on to work as a graphic designer and art director for 25 years.

Although I had formal training in art and design, I am largely self-taught as a painter. I've been painting and selling my artwork for about 20 years, and teaching has been an important part of my journey throughout that time. I love both creating art and sharing what I've learned with other artists, which eventually led me to develop my own online art community and teaching programs.

What do you love about the mediums that you use in your work?
I love the immediacy of acrylic paint and the ability to layer over it if I don't like the result. With watercolor, I love the flow and the sense of relaxation it brings me.

And then there is glass and resin—I am completely enamored with this combination, and I think I always will be! There is something deeply satisfying about the entire process, from hand-cutting the glass and carefully layering it onto my paintings to mixing and pouring the resin. I still get excited every time I do it. The results are beautiful, dimensional, and incredibly satisfying. Honestly, it can be addictive!

How did you discover resin?
I discovered resin quite by accident while watching a video. I saw what was possible with it and immediately thought, I have to try this! And that was it—I was hooked.

How has resin impacted your artwork?
Resin has brought me an incredible amount of joy and fulfillment as an artist. It has also had a significant impact on my career. The combination of acrylic painting, hand-cut glass, and resin became a distinctive part of my work and helped me sell more artwork and attract more students to my classes. It has truly made a difference in my artistic journey.

Can you provide a brief rundown of your process?
My process usually begins with research and finding inspiration. I do quite a bit of preliminary work before I begin a finished piece, sometimes using Procreate, sometimes sketching, and often creating watercolor studies or small color studies to develop my composition and palette. I may create two or three small versions of a painting before committing to a larger piece.

With my glass and resin work, the process can actually begin in either direction. Sometimes I find a piece of glass that inspires a painting, and other times I have a painting idea and then go hunting for the perfect glass to complement it. I love searching for unusual colors, textures, and pieces of glass that will bring a painting to life.

Once I have the painting and glass figured out, I marry the two together. Some of my paintings are highly intricate and don't need embellishment at all, while others are primarily glass and resin with very little painting. But my favorite pieces are usually somewhere in between—a fully developed acrylic painting enhanced with lots of intricately layered, hand-cut glass.

Before I begin painting, I prepare my wood surfaces, seal them, and install or prepare the necessary hardware. Once the painting is complete, I hand-cut the glass and arrange it on a template before transferring the design to the painting. Depending on the piece, I may glue some of the glass in place, while other pieces can be laid directly onto the surface.

Often, I will arrange the glass and pour the resin in the same session. After the resin cures for about three days, I do a final quality check, finish the hardware and prepare the piece for shipping.

Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?
Making art is deeply rooted in who I am. I have been creating since I was about four years old, when I would sit and draw princesses with my sister. From those early years until today, I have always found a sense of peace and happiness in sitting down to draw, paint, or simply make something with my hands.

I feel very fortunate that I didn't grow up hearing negative messages about my artistic abilities. Unfortunately, I've known many talented artists who were told they weren't good enough, and somewhere along the way they stopped creating. I think that's incredibly sad, and one of the things I hope to change through my teaching is helping people rediscover that creative part of themselves.

Making art brings me joy and relaxation. It helps me process my feelings, quiet my mind, and simply enjoy the moment. I truly believe creativity is good for the mind, body, and soul.

Ultimately, I create because I love it. It's one of the ways I enjoy life most, and I especially love sharing that experience with other women who want to explore their own creativity. There is something wonderful about creating together, encouraging one another, and remembering that making art doesn't have to be perfect—it just needs to make you happy.

Does art help you in other areas of your life?
Most certainly! I would say art has helped me in virtually every area of my life. It brings me happiness, and as they say, “If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!” But seriously, I think creating art builds confidence in a very powerful way.

When someone opens themselves up to learning something new—whether it's painting, crafting, or simply developing a skill they've always wanted to explore—and they finally complete a class or project and look at what they've created, there is often this wonderful moment of realization: Wow, I really can do this! That feeling can be transformative.

The more we create, the more we learn about ourselves. We learn to trust our instincts, take risks, work through frustration, and overcome the things that once held us back. And every time we accomplish something we weren't sure we could do, our confidence grows.

I've experienced this in my own life, and I've watched it happen with my students over and over again. That confidence doesn't stay in the studio—it carries into our families, our work, and our relationships. For me, learning to trust myself creatively has helped me become more confident in all areas of my life.

So, yes—a profound YES! Art has made me a happier, more confident person, and I believe its benefits reach far beyond the canvas.

What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?
I hope my art creates a feeling. Maybe it transports someone into a daydream, brings back a special memory, or simply creates a sense of joy and beauty. I love the idea that a painting can mean something different to every person who looks at it.

I hope people find something in my work that speaks to them personally—something they can relate to, remember, or simply enjoy looking at. And when one of my paintings becomes part of someone's home, I hope it becomes a daily reminder of that feeling.

To me, that's one of the most wonderful things about art. It doesn't have to tell you exactly what to feel. It can become whatever you need it to be.

How do you define success as an artist? What does that look and feel like for you?
I think we get a little too caught up in the idea of success. To me, making art is more important than being “successful” at it. I think overcoming your fears, trusting yourself, and creating something that brings you joy—that's success.

A lot of people have a hard time calling themselves an artist. I look at it very simply: if you are creating something, anything, you are an artist. You don't have to explain yourself, define your style, or worry about whether other people consider you successful. You just need to follow your own path and create what feels right for you.

I've always believed that we spend too much of our lives worrying about expectations that other people have placed on us. So if you overcome those expectations and fears and give yourself permission to do what brings you joy, I consider that a huge success.

And success can look completely different for everyone. Maybe you want to meet other creative women, make things together, and put yourself out there socially. Maybe you want to enter your first local art fair and sell your work. Your success might be creating a body of work, submitting it to the show, and simply showing up—even if you don't sell a single piece.

You tried. You put yourself out there. You did something that once scared you. That is success on your terms, and I applaud it.

What’s your favorite resin tip you’d like to share with our readers?
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that when I am precise and consistently follow all of ArtResin’s guidelines for measuring, mixing, and pouring, my resin turns out beautifully. There really is no shortcut when it comes to resin—you have to follow the rules!

I also remind my students that even when you do everything correctly, you may still encounter a few bubbles or minor imperfections, and that's okay. Resin is a beautiful medium, but it does require patience and practice. You learn over time how to prevent certain issues and, just as importantly, how to fix them when they happen.

My biggest advice is to be patient with yourself and give yourself the time it takes to learn the craft. Don't let the pursuit of perfection keep you from enjoying the process. With experience, your pours will become more predictable, you'll become more confident, and you'll learn how to handle the little imperfections that inevitably come with working with resin.

It is absolutely worth the patience. The beautiful, glossy, dimensional results you can achieve with resin make all that practice worthwhile.

Where do you sell your work?
I sell my artwork primarily through my website, agnesfriedlanderstudio.com —just click on the Shop tab. I am also looking to expand into a few local shops and galleries here in Florida.

Congratulations on your win, Agnes!

To see more of Agnes' work:
Visit her website: agnesfriedlanderstudio.com
Follow her on Instagram: @agnesfriedlanderstudio