"Missing Pieces" | New Terra Human Painting!

Hi friends, I hope you enjoy this slightly different formate for my new Terra Human painting! For this piece I chose to create a portrait and create a sort of double exposure effect in order to incorporate the nature components. So instead of having a figure physically sitting or laying in a landscape, she its actually blended with it. Scroll down for a full description of the painting.

 
 

This painting is about the loneliness that we many of us are feeling during these uncertain times. Our normal interactions with friends and family have been reduced and modified and this has affected our emotional wellbeing more that we realize. Some of us may be experiencing heightened anxiety or depression that make us want to retreat away from other people even more than usual. We all cope with times of stress differently and that’s alright as long as we understand that deserve the love that is in our lives and that things will get better eventually.

The woman in this piece has retreated away from people but she finds comfort in the nature that surrounds her. Visually the branches almost support the shapes and curves of her face, keeping her head up in a time of sadness. She has blended into her surroundings so that they may fill in her missing pieces and make her whole again. 

Thanks for reading! As always, this original painting is available to purchase in my online shop! CLICK HERE TO VIEW IN THE SHOP!

Final "As One" Limited Edition Release!

Great News! I'm happy to announce that I've partnered with Like Minded Productions to do a final release of my "As One" limited edition prints! People have been asking me to do another release of these prints for a few months now so I want to give you the opportunity to be one of 30 limited edition owners! We have 18 left in this series!

Click on this link to see my print in the Like Minded Shop!

https://www.lkmndd.com/shop/as-one-by-artist-austin-howlett

Like Minded is an excellent small business here in Denver and they have been nothing but generous and kind ever since we met!

"Sight Unobstructed" Receives 1st Place in Online Open Call!

A few weeks ago I got an instagram add for an open call on an online art sharing platform called Artrepreneur. It was free to apply and only required you to make a profile on their site in order to enter. The open call description was as follows: “At a time when we’re all bound to stay inside our domestic structures, show us work that’s inspired by and demonstrates the diversity of human experience circumscribed within the concept of home. For this, our first Curated Open Call, we're looking for work who's subject-mater captures that which treads the boundary between the domestic structure (house, apartment, condo, tent, etc.) and those experiences that transform it into a home.”

I really loved this topic and was excited to apply with a few of my Terra Human paintings. A week or so after applying I received this congratulatory email!

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And this was my submission description for all my paintings: These paintings show our physical bodies restricted in our homes while our imaginations explore the rest of the world and bring the outside in. Our limitless imagination can run wild when feel safe and comfortable in our own home, bringing us our favorite aspects of the outside so that we might feel inspired and hopeful. The comfort of our own homes allows us to gaze out the window and image a new and better world for us and our children and this speck of hope allows us to wait patiently.

A few days later I was also excited to see this article about this open call on the Artrepreneur Art Business Journal! You can read the full article by clicking HERE!

 
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"Hidden Meadow" | New Terra Human Painting!

Happy Friday everyone! I would like to introduce you to my newest Terra Human painting titled "Hidden Meadow"

I’ve spent this past month in quarantine painting this beauty! I’m not going to lie it was difficult at times to be working on such a daunting project while the there has been so much uncertainty in our world during this global pandemic. I definitely experienced days when I felt like it was all too much and I felt powerless and small. And something that brought me out of this darkness was knowing that small things done right really add up and I should focus on the things that were in my control. I could control how much time I painted/ worked and I could also control how much time I relaxed and took a moment for myself and my mental wellbeing. It has really been beneficial for me to look at my goals as marathons instead of sprints. I sometime's get so excited about the final result that I just want to run towards it as fast as I can, but I’ve learned that if I pace myself I will stay balanced and in control. Meaningful things take time and patience and that’s what I kept reminding myself while I was painting this piece.

So this painting is the result of over 50hours of patient work and planning. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to read the description below.

 
 

This painting is about the places we go in times of distress in order to find peace and reassurance. These imaginary worlds can be made up of memories, images and emotions that bring us joy and comfort when we need it the most. We all have these types of locations in our memory and we retreat to them when the outside world can be too much for us to handle and we need to sit with our thoughts and emotions.

This painting illustrates what it looks like when we travel to this perfect spot in our mind, fall down into the soft trees and rest our eyes. Our bodies become one with our surroundings and the plants and animals grow and live in harmony with us without fear. We blend into the environment that we hold so dear to our heart and find a rejuvenated strength underneath the mountains. This strength allows us to stand back up despite the fear that is waiting for us on the other side and depart this comforting world with a level head and an accepting heart. 

I really hope you enjoy this new piece in my Terra Human series. This original painting is available for purchase! Click here if you would like to view this painting in my shop!

Hand Study Has Been Sold!

I just wanted to share that my recent hand study original painting has been sold!
I'm really appreciative of those who truly see the value in art even in stressful and uncertain times. Since we are in our homes more than ever right now, I think it's important to have something on your wall that can bring you peace.

 
 

Here is what the buyer sent me once they decided to purchase the piece. I loved their thoughts 🤗

✍️"One of the things I was randomly contemplating before I actually saw the hand piece was how our hands are essentially our second pairs of eyes. When we walk through a dark room it’s with our hands that we use to see and even to feel. So much of human experience is governed by our “sight” and our “feeling” so to have such a “simple” body part represent so much of our inner humanity really blew my mind."

 
 

Throwback Thursdays!

Hi friends, are hope you are staying safe and staying at home as much as possible. Recently I’ve been posting some throwback Thursday painting comparisons on my instagram and facebook as a fun little activity. My followers have really been enjoying it and I hope you do as well!

I started thinking of these comparison ideas when I was looking at my old paintings on my facebook art album. Every so often I like to look back at my old artwork to see how much I’ve improved and so I thought it would be a fun thing to share.

The purpose of these comparisons is not to knock my old work or disregard it in anyway, rather it’s a fun opportunity to see how I’ve grown as an artist in both technical skill and concept execution. I’ve been trying to choose images with similar subjects so that you can see the clear changes or improvements in my technique as well as some differences in how I paint now verses then. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these examples, if you follow me on facebook or instagram you will most likely see some more of these!

 
 

My Newest Landscape Painting | Hallett Peak

In this painting of Hallett Peak I really wanted to showcase the depth of this incredible landscape so that the majesty of this peak could take center stage. In order to achieve this depth, I made sure to pay attention to a few technique aspects of every landscape.

 
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The first is that objects that are far in the distance have less color saturation and a smaller range of value. The second this that large objects in the distance have more atmosphere between it and the viewer so its colors typically have more blue in them, particularly the shadows. These small adjustments allow this peak to fade into the distance of the painting creating a nice illusion. Another important aspect of this painting was all of the shadows. This photo was taken at sunset time so there are plenty of shadows in this scene. The two main shadows I wanted to pay attention to were the shadows case by Hallett Peak in the background but also the shadow cast by a peak that is actually behind the viewer and out of sight.

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I was tempted to leave this shadow out of the painting but I realized that it nicely created the illusion of immersion in the painting so that the viewer really feels surrounded my mountains. Plus this shadow breaks up the composition of the foreground nicely and adds some movement. Overall I really enjoyed creating this piece and I’m excited to be turning it into a Terra Human painting soon!

As always this original painting is available to purchase in my online shop. Click here to view in the shop!

Terra Human | "Imprint"

My newest Terra Human painting “Imprint” is finished and available! This piece expresses how an environment can leave a lasting impact on us, bonding with us on a spiritual level in a way that allows us to learn something new about ourselves.

We often strongly identify with our surroundings growing up and this can influence what places bring us the most joy and introspection later in life. But we can also find a deep appreciate for new environments where significant moments take place. There are times when every aspect of a moment is perfect and this amount of bliss creates a strong tie to what surrounds you. Everything from what you see, to what you smell, to what you touch gets imprinted into your memory and this place is now a part of who you are. This location has now been saturated with incredibly strong emotions and it is almost impossible to separate the two. The joy you feel when you remember a perfect moment in a perfect place is almost intoxicating and it inspires you to explore and seek out more moments of bliss and perfection.

This piece is available to purchase in my online shop for $500. Click here to view this painting in the shop!

 
 

I really enjoyed creating this piece and the part I loved most about it was the colors. I love working with warm colors and was really nice to see how they create a mood. The intense sunlight made a variety of yellows, oranges and reds that really contributed to the overall look of the piece. My favorite detail of this piece has to be the light coming through her hair. From the initial stages of this piece I was really excited to paint her sunlit hair so when I finally painted this section I had a great time and it really made the lighting convincing.

Taking Photos in Rocky Mountain National Park!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of driving up to Rocky Mountain National Park to take some photo references for future paintings. This was my first experience at the park and I was absolutely stunned by the natural beauty that surrounded me and my sister-in-law.

 
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Even though we visited in the winter season, all of the views seemed to be saturated with color from the trees, snow, rock or sky.

 
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We chose to hike our way up to Dream Lake which is frozen during this time of the year, we were able to walk on the ice and see how some of the water was almost frozen in motion among the rocks. We stayed in this area through sunset and its interesting to see the photo comparisons before and after sunset. Below you can see the color and light changes that happened in the environment after the sun had gone down.

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I love seeing these rock formations covered in show because it seems to add definition to theme and a sense of dimensionality.

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Overall this was a great experience in nature and a wonderful opportunity to capture some inspirational images for more paintings!

Terra Human | "Between Light and Shadow"

My newest Terra Human painting is finally done! After weeks of tweaking, reworking and obsessing over minute details she is finally done! I really hope you enjoy this piece and please read the full description!

 
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Process: I started this painting by using a grid on my reference image and then drawing the same grid onto my panel so I could accurately lay out my composition. After that I started to immediately paint the face because I knew it would take the longest and require the most accuracy. As you can see by the process images below I reworked the face several times and painted several layers in order to obtain the realism that I wanted.

As you can see in some of the later images, I experimented with many different abstractions in order to get the right look for the painting. There were several instances when I would paint a section like the window or her arm in a particular way and the next day I would changed it because I didn’t like how it looked. Overall I found this piece much more approachable by painting it in sections. I would mix up my color palette for a particular part of the piece and then only focus on that area for almost the whole day.

 
 

This original painting is available to purchase in my shop! CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT IN MY SHOP!

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Description: “Between Light and Shadow” The concept of this painting is strongly linked into the techniques I employed to create it. The biggest hurdle I needed to overcome in this particular piece was how to properly observe and render this figure which has so many complex and nuanced shadows. And when I identified this issue I couldn’t help but see the parallel to the shadows in our lives. It is no secret that many of us feel shaded by experiences in our lives that we just cannot seem to brighten. These experiences may even define us for a certain amount of time and control our behaviors because they affected us so deeply. I even felt this way when I started painting the figure’s face and couldn’t seem to see any end in sight. I felt a bit lost in these darker values and couldn’t see the distinct differences between colors. It seemed like colors and values were getting muddled in the shadows making me think there was no beginning or end to my brush strokes.
But as I progressed with this painting and persevered to give it a chance to develop I started to discover that with time and effort these shadows presented rare opportunities. I began to see the subtle colors that can be found in shadows because of reflected light. I started to understand that theses shadows created an amazing contrast that made the highlights even brighter. The figure I was painting was no longer defined by the shadows that used to haunt her rather now her character was enhanced and clarified by the this darkness. The shadows now seemed to server as a backdrop for all of the light that is embracing her.
We all experience shadowing in our lives but as we grow we learn to create our own definitions of ourselves and we can choose the path that allow us to see the most light.
Thank you for reading!

My Newest Terra Human Painting!

NEW TERRA HUMAN PIECE! After working on this piece for a few weeks I'm happy to say it is finally done! I really enjoyed playing with textures in this one and problem solving the composition. Here are the details and the description...
Title : Hidden Away | 12"x16" Available for $650 Framed

Click here to view this piece in my shop!

 
 

This piece deals with our reactions to stress and anxiety. The person in this piece has a tendency to respond to stresses in his life by pulling away and blending into his surroundings. He hopes that if he is invisible his problems won’t find him and he can take comfort by retreating into himself. As he blends further and further into the environments that surrounds him he starts to loose sight of his priorities and the traits that define him as a person.
By retreating like this he cuts himself off from others and the ways in which they can help him. In his brain he sees asking for help as a weakness and thinks his problems will only hurt the people closest to him. While he is pulling away from others his gaze narrows and he sees less and less of the big picture and only focuses on himself and the fact that he is stuck.
There are not right or wrong ways to deal with stress in our lives but the more we can let people into our realities they better they will understand us and how we process our issues.

Two Paintings Accepted to a Group Show!

Hey guys, I’m really happy to share that "Undefined" and "Williams Lakes have been accepted to the Jones Gallery March Group Show in Kansas City!

This will be my first show in a while and I’m really excited!

Unfortunately I wont be able to attend the show in person but here are the details.

The show is at Jones Gallery in Kansas City Missouri, the address is

Jones Gallery

1717 Walnut
Kansas City, MO
64108

The First Friday Reception will be on March 6th. from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Here is a link to the Jones Gallery website if you want to check out some of their artists or previous shows https://jonesgallerykc.com

A Very Special Custom Painting

So I finally finished this very large and very special commission. I hope you enjoy hearing about it and why it is so important.
It can be incredibly difficult to lose someone you are close to and we all experience loss at some point in our lives but nothing can match the heartbreak of losing a true life partner. Sometime our thoughtfully planned out timeline is cut short by something unexpected and this can be devastating and life altering. But it can be nothing short of incredible to see how we can cope with such losses and slowly create a new life for ourselves.

 
 

The recipient of this painting lost her partner in 2018 and hoping I could create a a painting of him enjoying his favorite spot in Montana. When I agreed to take on this project, I wanted to approach it with the upmost sensitivity and respect in a way that would memorialize this person and visualize him enjoying his favorite place in the world. I wanted to show him in a truly better place free from the complications of our world.
I hope this piece can serve as a reminder of the wonderful life that has been lived and the wonderful life that is still unfolding.

This piece is titled “A Moment Stretched to Eternity” because I wanted to capture the feeling we get when we are enjoying time with our loved ones and a single moment can have so much happiness and contentment that we want it to last forever. We hope that time can just stand still so we can soak in all of the positivity from the people we love and always view them in this moment of perfection. But the best we can do is hold onto these moments as we travel through life and appreciate the people we love the most while they are here and remember them fondly when they are gone.

 
 

"EVE" My Newest Terra Human Painting!


I'm incredibly excited to finally share my newest Terra Human painting with you all! This piece is titled “EVE” and has been by far the most complex painting I've made to date with very specific lighting, tricky color transitions semi translucent clothing and not to mention a full reflection of the intricate mountains in the water! 😯

 
 

It's safe to say that I'm really proud of myself for persevering through this process from start to finish even though there were times when I thought I bit off more than I could chew. Fun fact, I composed this piece on photoshop months ago but knew that I needed to develop my skills even more so that I could have a good shot at creating this. I think that the making of this piece really speaks to a character trait that I developed in my athletic career which is always expecting more of myself. I'm constantly raising my standards of what I can create and never settling for comfortability. I feel really fortunate to have learned that ones artistic abilities are not a fixed talent rather a skill that can be developed with the right discipline and patience.
Anyways, I hope you really enjoy this piece and please give it a like or comment if you do, it really helps me out.

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Here is a full description of the piece. This painting is about our childhood. In our youth we had visceral and raw experiences with our natural world that gave us an appreciation for our surroundings and a humility for their potential. The oceans we swam in, the forests we gazed at and the mountains we climbed all gifted us with an emotional imprint that we will be stored in our hearts for the rest of our lives. And it is because we were young that we experienced these environments with such intensity. Our responsibilities were minimal, our thoughts were naive and our imaginations ran wild. We were small and new to the world so we moved though it with a curious spirit that encouraged us to explore and live in the moment. This childlike spirit is not lost though, it visits us whenever we go into nature and lose ourselves in its impossible beauty and power. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable in this world and fully experience the environment that surrounds us we rekindle this playful spirit and allow it to walk along side us through a world that needs understanding and compassion more than ever.

UPDATE: This original painting has been sold but prints are available for purchase!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRINTS

Cyber Monday Print Sale!

Hi friends! I’m doing a Cyber Monday Sale today! (12/2/19) Almost all of my prints are 50% off and I’m temporarily re-releasing my “As One” limited edition prints for today only!

 
 

So be sure to visit my online shop to grab your favorites before they are gone!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY SHOP

My Newest Figure Painting!

My newest figure piece is officially available! I'm really proud of how this one turned out and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
✅This 8"x10" original piece is available for $350 in my online shop. CLIKC HERE TO PURCHASE!

 
 

" A Fleeting Moment" This piece visualizes the significance of a moment and how important it is for us to pay attention. There are so many moments in our lives when the stars seem to align into something beautiful that can change the way you look at the world if you let it. There may be times in your life when, for whatever reason the light it just right, the sounds are soothing, the environment is stunning and the people you are with are perfect as they are and all of these things collide into a blissful fleeting instant that can bring you inexplicable joy and humility.

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Please take the time to recognize these moments because they will bring you a deeper understanding of yourself and the people and places that surround you.

Announcement of Limited Edition Prints!

Hi everyone I have an important announcement for you all! I will me doing a LIMITED TIME RELEASE of my "As One" Limited edition prints next weekend 11/9 and 11/10!

This will be a 48 hour opportunity to snag a limited edition print of this unique piece. There will only be 30 prints in total and they are divided evenly between two sizes, 9"x12" and 12"x16 all prints are matted and 6 that are already framed.

Here is the price breakdown:

9”x12” - $40.00

12”x16” - $65.00

9”x12” Framed - $60.00

12”x16” Framed - $80.00

Special bonus! If you are on my newsletter list you will be able to use your monthly discount code on your order!

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Each print has the print number out of thirty, the title of the piece, the date it was signed and my signature.

"Unguarded" A New Terra Human Piece

Hello friends, I want to share my newest Terra Human piece with you all! This 9”x12” is titled “Unguarded” and deals with themes of masculinity and mental health.

This piece depicts a man transitioning from who he was to who he wants to become. He was hardened by his upbringing in order to make him brave and emotionless so that he could weather any challenge and conquer any odds, but this had a cost. In order to become a fearless warrior this man learned not to feel. He suppressed his emotions, he ignored pain, and he refused to let down his guard in fear of compromising his masculine persona. He was told over and over again that this world was harsh and unforgiving so he needed to mimic these traits in order to get ahead.

 
 

Eventually he reached a breaking point because of the daily pressures he felt from his family, friends, and the society that surrounded him. He couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, and mundane tasks caused him immense stress and worry. This piece illustrates the tipping point where he starts to explore a mindset of vulnerability and self care.

The man in this piece is allowing himself to be flawed and broken so that he can reach out for help for the first time. Taking deep breaths he melds into the landscape around him and finally embraces the vulnerability that he avoided for so long. He starts to understand that being a warrior does not mean he needs to be so strong that he doesn’t feel rather it means that he needs to be strong enough to feel. Its natural for him to make mistakes, ask for help and feel sad at times. This is the beginning of his new journey towards self reflection and self worth.

I hope you enjoyed this in-depth description of “Unguarded” this piece has been sold but I have plenty other amazing Terra Human paintings in another section of my website. CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE!

Fall Paintings!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven’t posted in a while! I’ve kept myself super busy with new paintings that I would love to share with you right now! Fall in Colorado means that our aspen trees in the mountains begin to change and there is a small window of time to see them with their amazing yellow and gold colors. Luckily I was able to get up into the mountains on two separate weekends to enjoy the amazing views and take some great photos! These hikes and photos really inspired me to make several fall landscape paintings that showcase the amazing aspens we have in Colorado.

So here is my first fall landscape piece that I recently completed! I took the photo reference for this piece near Nederland Colorado around sunset time. I just loved how the aspens in the foreground framed the rest of the landscape and added a pop of color. I also really enjoyed how the clouds added some dynamic movement to the scene.

 
 

This piece is titled “Dancing Leaves” and is still available for purchase in my shop for $400. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!

My next fall landscape piece was also inspired by one of my photos near Nederland but on a different hike. The lighting of this one is very difference because the sun had mostly set behind the mountains at this point so there were a lot of shadows and just a few spots of sunlight hitting the trees. The lighting on this scene got me really excited to create this great piece so I hope you enjoy it!

 
 

This piece is titled “Autumn Sunlight” and has been sold to a private collector! Don’t worry, there are more to come!