Interview
Autumn Hicklin
An artist who has formal training in traditional art, but is self-taught in digital art, Autumn Hicklin has explored many different themes. Her early work was primarily made up of abstract paintings, while her current work is digital illustrative paintings. She has also recently started moving towards oil painting.
Autumn Hicklin is from Fayetteville, Georgia and graduated from Berry College with a B.A. in studio art.
Her work can be found in several online art galleries, such as Las Laguna Art Gallery, California.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I started my art journey when I was in middle school. I was always sketching and doodling in class; however, I was in chorus at the time. When the time came to pick my extracurricular classes, I chose drawing instead of chorus. I probably wouldn’t be doing this interview if I had decided to continue doing chorus back then!
I would learn how to paint with acrylics and shading with charcoal at school. At home, I’d learn how to draw using programs like Adobe Photoshop and Procreate. Recently, I’ve been taking everything I’ve learned from these classes and applying it to my digital work. This has really helped me find a style I can call my own.”
What inspires you most?
“This is always a tough question for me. My inspiration is different for each piece I create. Sometimes the inspiration comes from the media, sometimes from my loved ones, and other times it could be from people I’ve just met.
The biggest source of inspiration for me, however, is nature and its beauty. Some of my best works have involved a person, typically a woman, and their interaction with animals and/or plants.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Normally, there isn’t an underlying message. I know that doesn’t sound like something too professional but it’s the truth. I typically just draw what I want to draw and let my audience interpret what they think the piece means.
Themes that I tend to lean towards are longing, sorrow, beauty, and fantasy. I don’t particularly know why, but I’ve found comfort in making art with these themes. On the other hand, fantasy is one theme that I could talk about for hours. I love drawing dragons and phoenixes. There are so many different avenues one could explore, like painting dragons that are huge, or making them tiny with butterfly wings.”
How would you describe your work?
“Honestly, my work is kind of all over the place. Sometimes it’s more realistic, while at other times it’s more illustrative. It really just depends on how I’m able to relay what is in my head onto paper.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Takashi Murakami. The first time I saw his work, I was drawn to it. Here was an artist doing everything art teachers had told me not to do — combining traditional Japanese art with anime art. I just found it so captivating. Because of him, I gained confidence in the search for my own style.”
What is your creative process like?
“First things first, the idea. My best ideas come to me while I’m falling asleep, in those silent moments where your mind is free to wander. Unfortunately, there’s the chance of forgetting your idea the next day. Other ideas come from offhand comments made by those around me.
Next is the matter of gathering references, such as different poses or hand positions. After that, I just start drawing. If I find myself getting frustrated, I ask for a second opinion. The best opinions are from the ones who haven’t been staring at it for 4 straight hours.”
“The future for artists is going to be very interesting, to say the least. So how do we survive?
We do what artists have always done: create our work using our unique style, and grow our own audience.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“The world and technology are changing so quickly that nowadays, there are even A.I. art programs! It’s honestly insane. Being an artist today means you have to have a presence on social media, whether it’s posting your photos or making progress videos.
I almost feel that instead of getting an art degree, maybe I should’ve gotten a communications degree so I could promote my art better. I honestly don’t know how it will continue to evolve. Eventually, we might start seeing PSA’s being used not only to support living artists, but also to support ‘human’ artists. Of course, I’m just a small artist, so I’m not one to ask.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you’d like to share?
“I participated in an online exhibition last year for Las Laguna Art Gallery. I didn’t win anything, and I’m pretty certain that a lot of people’s works ended up on this online gallery. But to me, who was coming out of depression, just seeing my piece on their website made me so happy. I don’t think happy is the right word, but it was just so satisfying to see.
I’d been told throughout my college career that I had to make art in a certain way, I had to be like the ‘popular’ artists, and that I had to copy their style. But for this exhibition, I finally felt like I was allowed to do my own thing. It was such fun seeing my work with all the other works, and seeing everyone’s different styles. From this one exhibition, I relearned that it’s okay to have my own style, and I finally got those teachers’ teachings out of my head. That was the first of many exhibitions that I did on my own.
An artist’s style is always evolving. Yesterday I drew in a different way from what I’ll draw today. That’s just the way life and art work. They are both constantly changing. Maybe one day I might win something from one of the exhibitions I enter. I might even get my own solo exhibition. I can say with certainty that the joy I felt from seeing my piece in that open exhibition will be the same joy I’d feel when I get my own solo exhibition.”
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