New Art In The Neighborhood ~ Wells Park Welcomes: Angie Poynter

Well Tractor Friends, we are changing our walls again. Not our “actual” walls, but the art that is on them. If you come in and tip pints with us, you’ve surely noticed the amazing artwork that is hanging. It changes every so often, at both of our locations, and now at Wells Park, we welcome our third artist so far. We would like everyone to meet: Angie Poynter. We sat down recently with Ms. Poynter, and chopped it up – we asked her some questions about: life, and art – and how those things, are really the same! Here is what Angie had to say.

How did your artist career begin?

I have been interested in art since I was a small child and I feel like it has a lot to do with the fact that I was born with a rare heart condition called “Holt-Oram-Syndrome,” which left me with a small hole in my heart and underdeveloped muscles and bones in both of my hands and arms. The condition is rare and understudied, but my parents always had me working with my hands at a young age to try and improve dexterity. At one point, I had to where hand casts that were intended to help stretch the under-developed muscles of my thumbs.

Since I can remember I was drawing and by the age of 4 I wanted to be a fashion designer and began drawing clothes and people. I vividly recall going to a M.C. Escher retrospective here in Albuquerque at about 5 years old and after seeing the museum filled with intricate works, I knew I wanted to take my love for drawing more seriously. In high school, I was interested in both painting and poetry and had my first art show at the age of 15 in Taos, NM along with performing at various local and national poetry slams. I furthered my artistic knowledge and experiences throughout college earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Santa Fe in 2007.

About three years ago I went for a routine heart check-up and was informed that the hole in my heart had healed and closed on its own over time. As a person who strongly believes that everything happens for a reason I truly feel that my heart has improved because of my love for art as cheesy as it sounds. While some people may take for granted having strong hands I decided at an early age to take what may have seemed like a “misfortune”, “weakness” or “disability” and make it one of my strongest assets.

What are 3 words that describe your art as folks witness it today?

Colorful, Figurative, and Landscapes

How has your art evolved?

As an artist with many interests and love for the variety of art forms and painting styles explored throughout history I feel like my art is continually evolving. I began mostly working with graphite/charcoal/colored pencil and when I started using paint and a brush my work was mostly abstract or surrealistic. Over the years, I have explored many different mediums and subject matters. Now I work with everything from spray paint, watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache, ink, graphite, and many more unmentioned here. Each different medium has something unique to offer and can create a wide variety of results. I often work in series and thoroughly explore an idea through multiple pieces before I move on to the next. My early paintings were more raw and simplified and currently they tend to be more refined with many layers, full of bold colors, and juxtapositions.

I have been to a total of 20 different countries by the age of 28 and will be traveling to: Tokyo, Japan and Bali, Indonesia this up-coming August- September. Exploring different landscapes, people, and cultures plays a huge role in my creative process and I view the whole world as my inspiration. Even the most dark and grim places can be beautiful when re-contextualized and this holds true for the mind as well. Currently, I am a self-employed full time artist and it has led me to work as an independent curator for the Pop-Up Collective with my best friend Jodie Herrera (curator/painter) and Joshua Schriber (curator/painter). Please visit our website http://popupabq.wix.com/collective.

Who is an inspiration for your work?

There are so many people to give credit to here, but first I would have to say my family and friends because they have never stopped believing in my dreams even when I doubted myself. Some of the artists that have inspired me include Tamara De Limpicka, Marlyin Minter, Katelyn Alain, Marlene Dumas, Stephen Bush, May Stevens, Gerhard Richter, Roy Lichtenstein, Kent Nelson, Sonia Delaunay, and the list goes on and on.

What is the goal when you set out to create?

Painting for me brings me inner peace; it’s actually quite meditative and once I start I can go for hours without realizing it is suddenly four in the morning and the birds will be chirping in just a couple of hours. Therefore, my primary goal is to just let myself go, dismiss the crazy thoughts of my over-analytical mind, and find a place where nothing else matters accept for being present in the very moment. No matter what I am painting that remains my goal.

If you could give young artists a piece of advice, what would it be?

First, take your weaknesses and make them not only your strengths but make them your story. Secondly, you will have times that you want to just throw all of your work in the trash; this is a normal emotional process that I think every artist faces at one time or another. Thirdly, if it were easy to make a living as an artist then there would be a lot more wealthy creative people out there. It is not impossible to sustain yourself, if you never give up. In my experience, I get 100 times more compliments than I do sales, but the most important thing to remember is that you will get rejected thousands of times more that you will get accepted. This is true for all things in life, but only the strong will survive in the art world.

What is next for you in your career?

The next step will hopefully unfold naturally, but currently I am working hard at devoting at least 30-40 plus hours each week on either painting or marketing my work online and through local shows. Since January of this year I have been involved in a show every month. I also starting working with the Pop-Up Collective which proved to be a huge success at our last show, “Cardiac” that benefited the Heart Hospital of New Mexico Foundation. One of my life long dreams is to create a multimedia venue for the arts with a focus on community enrichment. I also am seeking an artist residency program abroad in efforts to combine my passion of painting and travel even further.