It was Andy Warhol who once said…

An artist is someone who produces things that people don’t need to have but that he – for some reason – thinks it would be a good idea to give them.

Well, I think that I do NEED Emma Hacks work to look at. If you haven’t heard of Emma Hack… you soon will also need her work to grace your eyes on a regular basis.

When I decided to create a ‘Featured Artist’ section for TWOSIX&BRUSH… I instantly thought how amazing would it be if Emma would agree to do my first interview. Luckily for me she is as nice as she is talented. Emma has inspired me with her work for many years and has really opened my eyes to potential with my own art. The fact that she has created work that is unique and has resisted following the pack in regards to style… that in itself inspires me and other artists I know to really explore our own craft and not to care what everyone else is doing… just follow out own instincts and do what floats our boat.

You do not need to be a previous fan of body art to really appreciate what Emma creates…

Where in the world are you right now and what have you been up to?

Good ol Adelaide!  This past year I have travelled to Hong Kong, Beijing and regular travel to all the Aussie states for mainly body art gigs and commercials for gigs which has been fun.
I created 2 exhibitions also last year, Exotic Mandala and Wallpaper Mandala which are really strong collections I am proud of and are selling well through galleries that represent me.
I also created my first book, its an edition based Artist Book and features all the images from my Wallpaper Collection from 2005-2010, five years in the making, its just gorgeous!

You describe yourself as a skin illustrator as apposed to a body painter… is there a difference?
I was looking at defining my art form in a more interesting, creative way, I see what I do as just not body or face painting anymore, it has a deeper meaning and illustrative effect, rather than being perfectly ‘made up’ in a theme… I wanted to evolve as my career and direction has too.

At what point did you know that body art was something that you wanted to explore?

I was studying make-up artistry in 1990 and at the time had been painting faces for about 3 years.  My teacher, Bill Peacock mentioned I should maybe look at taking the face-painting down the body.  I have always loved fashion and thought to paint clothing onto the body, lingerie was the first thought as it sits firmly to the form of the body, as soon as I did it, I was hooked and kept creating!
There wasn’t much in the way of reference to body art in the libraries or book stores in Adelaide so I didn’t know of any others doing it, I was just winging it, people thought I was weird…
In 1992 the cover of Demi Moore painted in the suit by Joanne Gair was released and it was at that moment I realised that someone was actually doing this as a career and I thought if they can do it, why can’t I!
Nowadays artists have so much to reference to aim for on a creative level with the internet, they are blessed, I am self taught and can’t help but wonder if I was taught with all the amazing products and artists around now, how much faster my journey would have been…

In your early days of body painting… what was the motivation to keep going with it?
I think when you start something new and are really into it you just want to create….  I have so many people contacting me with this energy, I wish I could harness it for myself… I only feel this way now when I am creating a new collection, what I want to do, which is sad, my hobby has become my job after 21 years….

What have been your biggest hurdles in your career?

Self belief is a hard one, in the beginning I actually gave up 4 years into my career of make-up thinking I wasn’t good enough, freelance can do that to you, a short spell of no work can really get inside your head!  I have come to love the highs and embrace the lows of freelancing as time to breathe, rather than worry and beat myself up over it…
On top of that, money is my main hurdle, if I had the support or funding I would have launched my artwork overseas by now, created my book earlier… being based in Adelaide has been a hard thing, but in saying that, it has allowed me great living with time and less outlay to create my art works.  At the end of the day I believe everything happens for a reason and when you are offered something at the right time or it reintroduces itself to you, its the right time to do it.  I have so many ideas, just waiting for the right moment :)

Was there ever a point you felt like giving up?

See above!

What was it that helped you get past the challenges and keep going?

I actually moved into Event Decor and Production of Fashion Parades and ran a series of nightclubs for 3 years and did really well, I launched my body art dance shows and through these contacts I got back into make-up…

As an artist who has really followed her own path and created her own opportunities, I think the next two questions are perfect for you….A lot of makeup artists want to be ‘creative’ yet get stuck in the trend of just replicating something another artist has already done… what advice can you give to those creative’s who don’t yet have the courage or know how to explore their own creativity?

Wow, I think this is so personal… to be honest, when I am creating I look at fashion, not other make-up work, it clouds my direction and how I would treat it.  Trust your brush and eye to go with the flow.  I am sure most photographers that worked with me back in the day were so terribly frustrated with me as I wouldn’t sketch or know what I was going to do until I had the face or body in front of me, I see it as a really organic flow, I hate to plan, maybe its just me being lazy but it works for me.

Most people need to sketch to evolve ideas, look at the plane of the face and generally what makes it look amazing and work within these perimeters, its really trial and error but some directions can either work on not…  Use this as your base, look to nature, look at art and how things are composed, I love neutral space and asymmetrical pieces best, when you have the face or body in front of you, your design should evolve slightly to ‘fit’ them, nobody is a flat sketch on a paper…
Its ok to be inspired by something but so motivating if you can create something yourself from that.

Many people study makeup and body art all around Australia… I see many artists in smaller capital cities give up on their craft quite early in their careers due to ‘lack of opportunity’.  As an artist based in Adelaide, what advice can you give makeup artists who live in smaller cities to keep their craft and career alive regardless of the amount of opportunities they may or may not see?

Well, All I know is Adelaide and small towns work on word of mouth.  Get together with a great photographer and spend some time on a beautiful portfolio, for both of you, sometimes the agencies can help or go out and find some great faces, that’s how I found my ‘bodies’ when I first started, luckily everyone pretty much knows what body art is now , I got a few weird looks!  Look at the market you are in and what percentage of your work will be creative, natural or glamorous and base you portfolio on this, all creative looks are no good in a small town!
Weddings are good money, I know some artists roll their eyes when you mention weddings, but I still do them.  I actually really like being part of someone’s special day, be confident and don’t try and change them, just make them a beautiful them and they will pass your name onto all their friends.  Look at counter work or glamour studio work too, it will get your application time down and keep you grounded working with real people…  Being a make-up artist isn’t just about making models look ‘hot’, sometimes the most rewarding job is when you make someone feel gorgeous.
Do your time, nothing happens overnight, do what you need to do between make-ups, I worked at Pizza Hut for a regular income while my business built.

If I was talking to Emma Hack in 1990 about her career in 2011… what would be surprising 90s Emma the most?

How long it has taken for me to get to this point!  I thought it would all happen so fast, little did I know… but it’s all going to plan!

You have travelled all over the world body painting and creating amazing art… what has been the most memorable trip and why?

Overseas work is always the hardest, dealing with other cultures, stuck in rooms painting for hours on end, it’s actually really exhausting.  My favourite times are travelling with people I trust to do a great job and make it fun!  Paris with my model Bec last year, the job was for Premiere Vision, they treated us like princesses in Paris.  Also for Tiffany and Co in Dubai when Sahra Bull assisted me and my sis came down from the UK to join in and help, they invited us to party afterwards, such a fun night! My first Beijing gig for Mont Blanc was great, travelled with Martin Bray assisting me, he is such a hoot and can make the time pass easily!

You have just released a book ‘Wallpaper Collections 2005 – 2010’ featuring your work with wallpaper designs buy the late Florence Broadhurst…tell us a little about it.

I discovered Verushka’s work in the early 2000′s and really loved the camouflage work she did with nature and old buildings, she was really the forefront of what body art is today.  I have been trying to find a way to make the concept of blending a body into an environment but wanted to do something that was more my style, which is colourful and design based.
I found the Broadhurst wallpaper on a wall of a home ware store here in Adelaide and as soon as I saw it, I knew that was how I would interpret this concept.  It has proven to be my most popular collection.  Its really hard to do, taking 8-15 hrs per piece, depending on the design and ‘connection points’, I have created a  documentary about this collection so to watch me create a piece and talk about it visit my youtube TV channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/EmmahackTV?feature=mhum

There is also a documentary on the creation of my Native Mandala Collection which is really beautiful :)

What was the experience like for you creating such an amazing book?

Well, the book is self published so I had control and wanted to let the design team have full reign on the design as it’s what they do best, I let them come back to me with ideas, which I chose what I thought worked best.  I wanted it to be feminine but strong and I think the result is there.  I also wanted it to be an edition book, no expense has been spared on the creation.  It is designed to appear as a Wallpaper Catalogue, there are 10 actual Broadhurst wallpapers within the pages as well as Broadhurst fabric embossed on the cover, the detail is gorgeous, there are so many elements, like the stamp-like effect on the back of each art piece, with details of when is was created and my notes on the creation, why and how…

Where is ‘Wallpaper Collections 2005 – 2010’ available for purchase?

Online and through the galleries that represent me, each is individually edition and signed making a collector piece of art:
http://www.emmahackartist.com/bookorder.php

What does Emma Hack have planned for 2011?

Well that’s the question I am asking myself!!!  I always plan the year at the beginning, there are general goals but as the economic issues overseas have happened, work is slow overseas and Australia is so far away from everything.
Strategically I will focus on the Asian countries for art representation, with a future view for Paris, New York and Miami, the hotspots for large art fairs and international art focus.  I am working further with Owls and birds of prey and looking into exotics like peacocks.  I am looking at special ways to sell my artwork that combine mediums for something special and more one-off, evolving my style further.
My freelance make-up work will fuel this, filling my days between exhibitions… onwards and upwards!
Oh, and I have another book I want to do on my first 21years of body art……. looking into publishers for that one.
Please join my facebook page or send me an email to be on my update list.  All of my galleries have a few pieces there, seeing them the sizes they are intended to be viewed is really special so drop past for a visit or when I have my next exhibition there, all details on my website:
www.emmahackartist.com