SANDY HUBLER STRIKES A BALANCE BETWEEN ART AND BUSINESS

WORDS / KODY FORD

It all started with a bouquet of flowers. Sandy Hubler made a crayon painting of the arrangement in the third grade and achieved her earliest success—first place and a $1 prize. This achievement did not go unnoticed by her parents, Arnold and Georgia Fowler, who had long supported their daughter’s interest in art. For years she had scribbled on anything she could find, whether it be napkins, books, papers or other surfaces that would allow it. Her father had dubbed her “Doodles” and the nickname stuck for the remainder of his life.

The Henderson, AR, native attended Arkansas State University after she graduated from Mountain Home High School. At ASU, she majored in fine art and studied under artist Roger Carlisle who’s guidance had a profound affect on her, but like many students of the creative life, she found a more practical career to pay the bills, first as a driver for UPS and later a Human Resources Manager. During this time, she only managed to create about 10 paintings a year. Still, her love of painting never wavered.

“I think that art has always been something that I have always had an interest in from a very young age,” she says. “I think it found me and I have never let go. The older I get the more obsessed I seem to be with art. My home is stacked with art work that I have collected over the years from other artist, I am a true art junkie.”

After 22 years of working her day job at UPS, Sandy quit and set out to find her way as an artist with the support of her husband, Rob. This newfound free time allowed her to hone her craft. For Sandy, the creative process starts with a thought, a quick glance of something that catches her eye, perhaps the shadow of a tree, a brilliant sunset blazing upon the horizon, or a majestic colt galloping across a lush field. She keeps a camera on her to capture such subjects. When possible, she likes to immerse herself in inspiration by doing a Plein Air painting. However, she tends to work with large canvases so painting outside is not always so practical and she stays in her studio.

“I like to paint paintings that make you want to sit down, relax and wish you were there,” she says. “I think that with technology advancing so fast in todays world, that people are looking for an escape when they get home. I want my paintings to take you to that escape, your own private world, if only for a few minutes.”

One great influence over the last seven years has been most recently painting with German artist Guido Frick who visits Little Rock area a few times a year. Guido is a Plein Air painter who approaches the canvas with a stream-of-consciousness, rapid style that captures the image and lighting in the moment. Sandy finds that he challenges her as an artist.

She says, “He forces me to paint out of my comfort zone and it only makes my paintings better.  He also has a looser approach that I hope to be able to achieve.”

Over the years, her style has loosened from a strict eye to detail to a softer touch. She says her color choices seem to be more pure and cleaner. “The saying you only get better with age is true,” she says with a laugh.

For Sandy, her love of art is not only manifested in the act of creation, but in the dispersion of it as well. The Showroom, a gallery and framing business located at 2313 Cantrell in Little Rock, for a long time was a frequent stop for Sandy when it came time to frame her work. In 2003, she was readying some pieces for an art show when she joked to then-owner T.V. Sharp that, “as much as I spend here I need to buy the place.” He replied, “I’ll sell it to you.”  A few months later, Sandy was the proud owner of her own art gallery.

Striking a balance between being a businesswoman and an artist is a challenge for Sandy, but it’s not a completely impossible tasks; she finds a way to make things work.  She says, “It is very difficult to be a gallery owner and devote the time needed to run a business and time to develop my art.  I end up painting a lot at night and on weekends.  Someday, I hope to focus more on my paintings.”

Currently, she has her work hanging in galleries around the south and Midwest.

VISIT:  SandyHublerFineArt.com or TheShowroom.US.com.

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