We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Katty Huertas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katty, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I recently installed my first immersive public art projection in Washington, DC. Titled “Pushing Through,” it features animated local flora as well as monarch butterflies animated on an underpass. The looping videos interact with the passersby making them look dwarfed in comparison to the art creating a sense of magic. Commissioned by Noma Bid, I made these digital animations specifically for the site.

Since painting my first mural back in 2023 I’ve been excited about the possibility of creating more public art. “Pushing Through” gave me the opportunity to do that, and to create work that is digital but somehow feels analog as it’s meant to interact with the rocks on the wall as well as with the community.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia and moved to the U.S. when I was about to turn 19. After living a couple of years in Miami, and completing my BA in Arts at FIU, I moved to Maryland and got my MFA from MICA in Baltimore. I currently live and work in DC.

My work explores themes of identity, folklore, and double standards, among other subjects. I consider myself a multidisciplinary artist because even though painting has been a constant in my life, and it is how I like to express myself best, I also like to explore and work in different mediums. Besides painting, a big part of my work consists of digital work, whether still or animated. As part of it, I’ve been commissioned by clients including Disney+, HBO Max, Adobe, and more. I’ve also dabbled in fiber arts, augmented reality and ceramics.

As part of my digital work, something I’m proud of is that my debut illustrated book “Karma is a cat,” written by Farrin Jacobs, was published earlier this year by Penguin Random House. But in general, the body of work I’m most excited about at the moment is the current painting series I’m working on dealing with folklore and the Colombian landscape. My first piece in this series titled “Made in Bogotá” made in 2024 was a departure and evolution from my previous paintings that focused mostly on the figure.

I’m also passionate about teaching and sharing, I’ve taught at MICA, and most recently the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. I also have a class online on animated editorial illustration in Domestika.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Sometimes it’s hard not to compare yourself but something that helps me is to know that no matter how good someone is, no one was born knowing how to paint. You can apply this to any disciple too, no one was born knowing how to play an instrument, how to dance, how to code. People who are really good at it just practiced.

I don’t believe in talent as much as I believe in interest. If you’re interested in something, you’ll find the time and with practice you’re bound to get better. This is something that I used to tell my students.

I also think that to be an artist you have to be humble but also confident at the same time. I think it’s important not to give up at first, when what you create doesn’t match what you want to create. I think a lot of people give up at that stage, or are just afraid of trying because of fear of failure. The thing is that time will pass either way, so in 5 years you could be at the same stage you’re at now, or you could’ve taken advantage of the time you had.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Supporting artists is easier than people think. While not everyone is able to afford original artwork, you can still show up for artists by sharing their work, their name, showing up to their shows, etc. Many visual artists also sell prints of their work, buying directly from them is a win-win as you can have non generic art and you can support an artist at the same time.
Words of encouragement are free and also appreciated, especially when you’re creating in a vacuum.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kattyhuertas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kattyhuertas/