MOLLY HIEBERT
Brooklyn-based artist Molly Hiebert paints ethereal watercolour art that doesn´t represent the hustle and bustle of where she is, instead it represents a calmness and ease that creates an interesting juxtaposition. Her work masterfully combines a neutral palette with striking, muted tones. Each brush stroke displays Hiebert’s intuitiveness and ability to create beautiful pieces that are both soft in color and sentiment.
Where are you from?
Originally from Atlanta, but since then have lived in Paris, Washington, D.C., Milan and Brooklyn where I’ve been living for 3 years.
‘My work is inspired by….’
Architectural forms and structures, water and movement, beautiful interiors.
Describe your art in three words.
Fluid, organized yet scattered, soft yet edgy.
How did the quarantine affect your creative process?
Quarantine and the pandemic have been both the best and the worst thing to impact my creative process. Working from home has allowed me to create more in-between meetings, brainstorms, etc. I was actually able to develop such a substantial amount of work that my friend and I hosted an art show in my apartment this past summer! Had I been going to the office, the time devoted to my painting would likely not have amounted to enough work to really host a show, so I’m super grateful for that. Despite being able to create more, getting inspired has been a challenge throughout the pandemic.
How has your art evolved over the past 3 years?
I think I’m still trying to identify what style feels like mine, or feels intuitive to me. In a physical sense, I used to work with a lot of texture to create a sense of dimension. Now, I think I lean on other elements to achieve dimension with the colors I use, the forms I create, the juxtaposition of shapes/lines/tones. In general, my work has matured quite a bit in the last 3 years, and will likely mature even more so in the next 3! I guess there’s more softness in my work now. Before my painting, itself conveyed my emotions. Now, my painting is more a reflection of my emotions after I’ve experienced them. This made perfect sense in my head….but makes a bit less sense now that I’m actually writing it down!
“Calling myself a professional artist hah! I hesitate with it, oftentimes not feeling my work is good enough to be a “real” artist. But I had a professor tell me one time…”think about how much shitty art is out there….do you still consider the artist that made it a “real” artist?”….which left an impression on me.´´
I think if we’re referring to artists as being any sort of creative, then yes. 100% always wanted to be an artist. But was interested in fashion and curation before painting.
Something creative you’d like to try?
Really want to learn the tango. Also would like to wheel throw – I’ve done quite a bit of handbuilding in pottery, but never used the wheel!
How do you get over a creative block?
Still trying to figure this one out really…but going on a trip! Leaving your space, finding something new.
An artist, musician, and actor you´d invite to dinner.
Not an artist in a traditional sense…but quite an untraditional guy anyways, Buckminster Fuller. Or Charlotte Perriand – another architect/designer.
Actor – Javier Bardem or Bill Nighy
What music do you listen to when creating?
To be honest, more often than not, I paint in silence. If I do listen to music, it’s often a mix of disco funk, deep house, or bossa nova.
What has been the most difficult thing to overcome as a professional artist?
Calling myself a professional artist hah! I hesitate with it, oftentimes not feeling my work is good enough to be a “real” artist. But I had a professor tell me one time…”think about how much shitty art is out there….do you still consider the artist that made it a “real” artist?”….which left an impression on me.
Name 3 of your favourite artists on Instagram?
Laura Naples, Marcel Rozek, and Brooke Didonato (photographer).
What’s your favourite quote to live by?
“Life imitates art´´. – Oscar Wilde
How do you decide what colours to use?
Especially living in New York City, there’s a lot going on at all times. So I lean towards colors that give off a sense of calm, and reprieve from the always moving, always going energy that New York can give off. My other love is interiors, and I lean towards really neutral tones when it comes to designing my space. The same colors that are seen in my apartment are in my work. Not entirely sure which came first, but it does make displaying my work around my home super easy – it all matches!
Outside of being an artist, I work as a design strategist for a strategy and innovation agency. I use color in my work as a tool to convey information in a certain way and highlight or subdue certain elements to ensure the viewer/reader digests information in the way I want them to. I think I use color in a similar way in my artwork albeit for a different purpose.
