For some artists, creativity is something discovered over time, but for others, it’s been there all along. From childhood art classes to spreading her love for art through tattooing to developing a distinct voice through portraiture, Anna Husband's style reflects an ever-evolving connection to creativity, identity, and self-expression.
When did your love for art begin?
I remember taking art classes in elementary school from a teacher, Ms. Newby. Even from a small age feeling like this is exactly what I should be doing. I loved creating things.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your paintings?
When I was deciding what to paint for my collection for my art show this past December, I thought about what I enjoy drawing or doodling. I’ve always enjoyed painting people and nature. Then, from there, I expanded upon that concept and thought about what I wanted the 'censor across the eyes' to convey.
When did you know that art would become a career for you?
I honestly thought art would never be a career for me. I started college in interior design and moved over to art history. Then I was like, "What am I going to do to financially support myself?" I looked into things like admin work, medical jobs, and banking. After a while, I realized I just couldn’t work in those fields. So then tattooing came along to make art and support myself. Painting was always just for fun, but then I realized I wanted to make it part of my career instead of just a hobby.
Tell us about the cover painting.
For the cover, Amy reached out to me about my work that I had done and how she truly enjoyed it and it spoke to her so we discussed a custom piece for her. When I start a portrait, I do a lot of research and looking at photos of people to make sure I have good positioning and lighting. From there, I come up with a color scheme where there’s a nice balance of warm and cool tones. Then I think about the emotion that the main picture reference feels like. This one felt happy, full, rich and bold.
Tell us about the meaning behind your work?
For this series, I didn’t want you to look at it and identify each person as a certain person, but for the feeling the portrait conveyed. For example, I think if you saw a portrait of me, you would think that’s Anna. She’s a wife. She’s a mother. She’s an artist. She’s 33 from Huntsville. That's all true, but I wanted you to see that she’s creative. She’s silly. She’s happy. I think often as women we tend to fall into these roles and lose a lot of who we really are. So that was my intention with the censor bar across the eyes, to hide their identity and make you focus on how they feel in that painting.
What feelings do you hope viewers get when in the presence of your art?
I hope that they realize we are so much more than our job, our status, or any other role that we fall into. I want people to see that we are just inherently all humans and deserve to be seen.
What do you see for the future of your art career?
I hope to continue to evolve and get better. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist, which can be good and bad. I’ve done a small mural before, it’s outside of Honest Coffee Roasters downtown. But I would love to do something on a much larger scale.
I also would love to do a tiny gallery, kind of like the tiny libraries you see around neighborhoods. For some reason, I think tiny artworks could bring so much joy.
For some artists, creativity is something discovered over time, but for others, it’s been there all along. From early childhood art classes to expressing her art through tattooing to developing a distinct style through portraiture, Anna Husband's art reflects a deep, evolving connection to identity and self-expression.
How can people view and purchase your work?
All of my work can be viewed or purchased at the Little Green Store and Gallery on Monte Sano Mountain. I’ve been selling my art up there for almost 10 years and everyone else who shows there is so talented.
What would you like to see happening in the local art community as the city continues to grow?
I would love to see much more public art. I would love to see even more local artist showcasing their work. I think the city does a great job with things like panoply, the art walk, Monte Sano Arts Festival, Lowe mill, gallery showcases, the art museum and more. But I feel like the more music and arts, the better!
I want people to see that we are just inherently all humans and deserve to be seen.
That was my intention with the Censor bar across the eyes, to hide their identity and make you focus on how they feel in that painting.