August 2025 Artist of The Season
This summer’s Artist of the Season, Joshua Huyser, paints everyday household items with quiet precision and a cinematic eye. Informed by a career in commercial film and an art practice rooted in formalist observation, Huyser’s object studies are understated and straightforward — a moment of relief amidst the unpredictability of modern life. Originally from Montana, he now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and exhibits his work internationally.
Original works and edition prints are available for purchase throughout the show.
NAME: Joshua Huyser
INSTAGRAM: @joshua.huyser
MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL: Morning person
FAVORITE SONG: Wild is the Wind by Nina Simone
MENTOR: Joseph Patrick
When did you first realize you were an artist?
Ever since I was about three years old, I have processed and learned about my surroundings through drawing and painting. However, I didn’t think of myself as an artist at the time. I realized that I was serious about heading in that direction when I was about 18 years old, early on in my college career.
How has your art or process evolved over the years?
In my later teens, I became fascinated by the work of abstract artists. Georgia O’Keeffe was my gateway drug into that world, so to speak. Her beautiful flower paintings and landscapes often bent toward abstraction, and she got me wondering. The more I looked around, the more I was interested in following a non-objective formalist path. I did so throughout graduate school and beyond.
But after the birth of my son with Down Syndrome, everything changed for me. There were complications that forced me to spend a great deal of time indoors and away from the world. Months and months of deprivation, specifically visual deprivation. Over time, my sensitivity to the visual experience of the indoors became heightened.
One day, while feeding my son, I saw a McCormick black pepper tin sitting on the table in the sunlight, and it took my breath away. The light that was shining on the tin cast this beautiful shadow. And that shadow was somehow proof of this object’s existence. It was such a powerful moment that I immediately saw everything differently, and it sent me down a new path. Since 2013, I have focused on still-life painting of objects.
We're big fans of your single-item still-life paintings. How do you select your subject matter? Are they objects you live with or do you seek them out specifically for your art?
II always have my feelers out, looking around. But it really is the coming together of the right light, in the right situation, at the right moment, with a specific object. A great deal of my subjects are stumbled upon in my day-to-day life.
Do you find yourself gravitating towards objects made in a specific time period? Are there any objects you avoid?
No, not really at all. I’ve been inspired by old things, and I’ve been inspired by odd things, and I’ve been inspired by boring things, and I’ve been inspired by new things. It really is about the experience of the form, the light, and the color more than anything else.
I wouldn’t say that there are specific objects that I avoid, but I can guarantee you that I would never paint a piece of Nazi memorabilia or anything hateful. My work is, in large part, about communicating through direct positivity.
How has your work in commercial film influenced your art?
My work in that industry has absolutely had a large influence on my work. One of the directors that I worked with many times over the years was known for visual clarity — his style was to put objects in a white space, so that the object could sing as loudly as possible. It didn’t occur to me until years after I started making these still-life paintings of objects isolated in an empty space that he had some influence over me in that direction.
The film industry also taught me about streamlining my message, distilling it down to its purest form for the sake of clear communication. This was a big lesson that was crucial for me to learn.
“Working from observation is very much where I am focused, and I feel this will likely continue for the remainder of my days.”
Some say watercolor is the most difficult paint to work with. What is it that drew you to this medium?
Yes, watercolor is certainly the most technically challenging painting medium. You cannot hide mistakes. And you build the image in the opposite manner that you would with oil or acrylic. There is no white watercolor. White is achieved by leaving blank, untouched paper.
It also happens to be the medium that I have the most experience with. I didn’t touch oils until I was 18 years old, but I’ve been working with watercolor since I was 3.
For me, watercolor is the most alluring paint medium because it soaks into the fibers of the paper, rather than just sitting on top of a substrate. It actively interacts with the paper.
I love paper and I love pigment. And the two of them dancing together is one of my favorite things in the world.
Do you ever feel creatively ‘stuck’ and, if so, how do you work through it?
In my younger years, when my work was focused on non-objective abstraction, I would regularly run into a wall and feel stuck.
I’ve never felt stuck since finding the path that I am currently on. I may not always feel an inspiration, but I know now to just be patient and wait. There’s no such thing as forcing this. If one does try to force the creative process, the work will invariably suffer with contrivances.
What’s next on your reading list?
Crashing Through. It is a fascinating true and evidently harrowing story about gaining vision after being blind for a very long time.
What or who has inspired you lately?
Just the other day, I was inspired by the reflections in puddles on the streets after a heavy rain. I immediately imagined an entire series with that as a central visual device.
Is there a particular feeling or message you hope your work conveys?
While there are many layers to my work, most of which are private and personal, there certainly is a feeling that I hope comes across. I work very hard to create a powerful yet peaceful, meditative, and soothing feeling.
I want my work to invite a viewer to quietly commune, achieved in part by intentionally choosing to not be abrasive or aggressive or off-kilter in any way. This really is a more difficult process than one might guess.
THANK YOU, JOSHUA!
Joshua will have select works for sale throughout the show.
