Congratulations to artist Farida Hughes, our latest ArtResin Winner! Currently based in Baltimore, Maryland and moving soon to Rye, New York, Farida is a painter and interdisciplinary artist: "My artwork is luminous layers of color that blur boundaries, and use formal the qualities of my medium to metaphorically act out connections between states of being, and time and place."
Does where you're from or where you currently live influence your work?
Absolutely! I respond to people’s stories, backgrounds, and experiences, so being in or near cities is a big influence on me. Living in, or having access to, nature, also influences my sense of connection to land and natural rhythms and patterns.
What's your art background? Are you self-taught or did you study art?
I studied art and english in college, and went on to get my MFA in visual art. In college I am grateful to have been introduced to many methods and materials. In graduate school it was a lot of theory. I was an abstract painter but it took me a long time to figure out what that meant for me, what was my content.
I studied art and english in college, and went on to get my MFA in visual art. In college I am grateful to have been introduced to many methods and materials. In graduate school it was a lot of theory. I was an abstract painter but it took me a long time to figure out what that meant for me, what was my content.
Are you a full-time artist or do you create around work hours?
I am now happy to say that I am a full time artist! I have held other career jobs in the past (teaching, graphic design) while also working as an artist, however, when I moved to Baltimore I was able to focus solely on studio work and I hope to keep that going.
I am now happy to say that I am a full time artist! I have held other career jobs in the past (teaching, graphic design) while also working as an artist, however, when I moved to Baltimore I was able to focus solely on studio work and I hope to keep that going.
What do you love about the mediums that you use in your work?
I am drawn to color by nature and choose color rich brands of paint to work with, whether oils, watercolors for works on paper, or other types of medium. My process and application habits are pretty fluid so I’ve been diluting my paint, or mixing the pigments into a liquid binder. Oil paint is my first love for its color depth and richness. I enjoy my watercolor process where I introduce a color into an applied line or shape of water, and let the color merge in. This chance vs. control manner of painting helped lead me to resin. Lately I have been exploring powdered pigments and creating my own paint mixtures with them. I then mix those into epoxy resin which is the vehicle I am using to carry the color.
How did you discover resin?
Discovering resin was a total accident. I was looking for something to carry/move my color other than oils or water. At the time I was at the end of year-long process of making my studio practice solvent free and making my own oil mediums. In perusing the aisles of my favorite art supply store I saw a little box of resin. Through research and experimentation I landed on mixing oil colors into the resin. A gallery I was working with had requested some miniature paintings that I forgot to make, and, knowing the resin cured in a specific amount of time, I decided to use it with my oils to meet the deadline. I was hooked. Over time I developed my own methods of use and began to work larger and larger.
Discovering resin was a total accident. I was looking for something to carry/move my color other than oils or water. At the time I was at the end of year-long process of making my studio practice solvent free and making my own oil mediums. In perusing the aisles of my favorite art supply store I saw a little box of resin. Through research and experimentation I landed on mixing oil colors into the resin. A gallery I was working with had requested some miniature paintings that I forgot to make, and, knowing the resin cured in a specific amount of time, I decided to use it with my oils to meet the deadline. I was hooked. Over time I developed my own methods of use and began to work larger and larger.
How has resin impacted your artwork?
Immensely! I am able to create the visible layers I wanted that I was not satisfied with from my oil paints. I am able to use my medium to perform the stories that I am trying to tell in my work. Lately I am also furthering my work to play up the inherent transparent qualities of the medium and experimenting with installation art. I enjoy the viscosity of the medium – that it is a liquid that forms into a solid. It has opened up so many possibilities and I keep pushing to explore further what I can achieve with resin.
Immensely! I am able to create the visible layers I wanted that I was not satisfied with from my oil paints. I am able to use my medium to perform the stories that I am trying to tell in my work. Lately I am also furthering my work to play up the inherent transparent qualities of the medium and experimenting with installation art. I enjoy the viscosity of the medium – that it is a liquid that forms into a solid. It has opened up so many possibilities and I keep pushing to explore further what I can achieve with resin.
Can you provide a brief rundown of your process?
I get a lot of my inspiration from light and color. Sometimes it is from actual observation of an interior or exterior place that is either background for, or participant in, an event. Sometimes I notice colors or shapes interacting in a profound way which can inform a composition that I build a story into later. Although I am an abstract artist, I work a lot from content, so stories I collect drive the moves I make in my artwork. I often know what I want the end to be, and the process is a slow build of figuring out how to get there.
Why do you want to make art? What motivates you to create?
It is more a need than a want. I have a natural curiosity and drive to figure out how to get things made. It’s a way of problem-solving, healing maybe in some sense, but also finding points of connection that help me maneuver my way through the world.
It is more a need than a want. I have a natural curiosity and drive to figure out how to get things made. It’s a way of problem-solving, healing maybe in some sense, but also finding points of connection that help me maneuver my way through the world.
Does art help you in other areas of your life? Art definitely helps connect me to people – other artists, other places, other communities.
What do you hope someone sees or feels when they look at your art?
People tell me my art makes them feel happy, optimistic, included. I suppose that is what I am aiming for. My art is more about creating a feeling of connection than about a linear narrative or picture.
People tell me my art makes them feel happy, optimistic, included. I suppose that is what I am aiming for. My art is more about creating a feeling of connection than about a linear narrative or picture.
How do you define success as an artist? What does that look and feel like for you?
Success is when I have the means to keep making more work: to keep moving forward and evolving as an artist. Sometimes that is a sale, or the energy around a fulfilling exhibition, sometimes it is going to a residency where I can dive in and focus on a project. Sometimes success is just the ability to have a good conversation with another artist.
Success is when I have the means to keep making more work: to keep moving forward and evolving as an artist. Sometimes that is a sale, or the energy around a fulfilling exhibition, sometimes it is going to a residency where I can dive in and focus on a project. Sometimes success is just the ability to have a good conversation with another artist.
What's your favorite resin tip you'd like to share with our readers?
I think a clean studio is key! I picked up a tip somewhere to mist the studio before painting, and that definitely helps to keep dust (and dog fur) at bay. Also, mistakes happen! When something moves in a way I don’t like during curing, or I make a wrong move, I either have to commit to it, or deal with it immediately. I keep a spray bottle of alcohol and plenty of rags nearby for wiping up drips. I also keep handy a heat gun and favorite chisel to remove material that I don’t want in my final work.
I think a clean studio is key! I picked up a tip somewhere to mist the studio before painting, and that definitely helps to keep dust (and dog fur) at bay. Also, mistakes happen! When something moves in a way I don’t like during curing, or I make a wrong move, I either have to commit to it, or deal with it immediately. I keep a spray bottle of alcohol and plenty of rags nearby for wiping up drips. I also keep handy a heat gun and favorite chisel to remove material that I don’t want in my final work.
Where do you sell your work?
I work with local and national galleries, regional art consultants, and out of my studio.
I work with local and national galleries, regional art consultants, and out of my studio.
Congratulations on your win, Farida!
To see more of Farida's art:
Visit her website: www.faridahughes.com
Follow her on Instagram: @faridahughes_artist
To see more of Farida's art:
Visit her website: www.faridahughes.com
Follow her on Instagram: @faridahughes_artist
Every month, to celebrate our community of artists, ArtResin will send out a 32 oz kit to two lucky people who have shared the work they've created with ArtResin.
ArtResin: Celebrating 10 Years As The Original Epoxy For Resin Art!
