We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rex Hausmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rex, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I will be a Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome this spring. My current project is titled “The Quotidian: In Few Words.” While there, I’ll be drawing and painting from life, experiencing what the Great Masters saw firsthand and recording both what I observe and what I know. I’ll be documenting works in context from figures like Michelangelo, Giotto, Raphael, and Brunelleschi—some of the greatest minds in human history. At the conclusion of this process, I will produce a comic book of my findings with Jackrabbit Press in Mason, Texas, making the experience accessible to anyone for the price of a comic book.
What is so inspiring about the American Academy in Rome is the environment; I am surrounded by brilliant peers who have been recognized with Pulitzer Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships, and Nobel Prizes. To work within an institution established in the 1890s is an absolute dream. Everyone I know who has spent time at the American Academy says their life was profoundly enriched by the stay. My family will be joining me later in the residency, along with several longtime scholars, writers and friends.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I have been in this industry for nearly my entire life. I grew up in a family of artists and woodworkers who ran a small business with about 36 employees for 30 years Hausmann and Hausmann Design Company in the same buildings Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community is in located in San Antonio, Texas. My parents were and are massive influences; they taught my brother and me the value of independence and the importance of doing your best with the tools you have. That work ethic has been instilled in us since we were thirteen years old.
Growing up visiting museums since I was literally two years old, I eventually decided to pursue my own path as an artist. I began my studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio and Baylor University before transferring on scholarships to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I stress this because the discipline required to apply for scholarships, maintain a high GPA, and manage a heavy workload is what truly prepared me for my career. I wouldn’t trade any of those steps for the world.
When it comes to business and personal discipline, I absolutely love what I do—it is my primary source of energy. My greatest advice is to find your calling and spend the rest of your life pursuing it. In terms of business practice: start small and grow as we say at Hausmann Millworks “Grow Where You Are Planted”. I also try to live by the mantra, “Ego is not my amigo.” So many problems can be solved by setting ego aside, doing what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it, and trusting that you’ve given your best. Above all, never underestimate the power of the follow-up; it is a vital pillar of success.
At my core, I am a painter. However, over the past 18 years, I also helped my parents build and develop a studio program called Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community. This institution has navigated a pandemic, economic recessions, and numerous obstacles. We survived by facing challenges daily—breaking big tasks into small, manageable ones and following through every single day.
I hope people recognize my passion and my work ethic. Simply put, “the future is in your past.” I didn’t reach the American Academy in Rome overnight. It took years of building the right résumé and portfolio, combined with being in the right place at the right time. Now, I am looking forward to creating new work in Rome and immersing myself in the Renaissance art history I have studied for so long.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I believe that defining what success actually looks like is incredibly valuable.
To me, success is having the time to spend with my parents and my nephews. It’s having the freedom to enjoy life with colleagues and friends of many years.
Often, my projects revolve around the same “cast of characters.” For instance, my best friends, David Almaguer and Kyle Martin, and I still go to lunch and collaborate on projects together. I still enjoy dinners with them and their spouses, maintaining those bonds while we create. I still hang out with friends like Christian Guerra, Scott Cummins, Joey Scott, Scott Clark, Eliott Van Otteren, Adam Tyson, Zach Federbush, Darin White and Amir Samandi—friends since I was a child—as well as good friends who really try to help others.
I also have a number of mentors, way too many to list them all, but among them are Dr. Marcus Burke, Judge Peter Sakai, Tim Blonkvist, Arturo Almeida, René Barilleaux, Felix Padrón, Nestor Reyes, Don Dougless, Steve and Tami Griffon, Dr. Mark Homer, Monique & John Layhee, Paul “Pablo” Martin, Lessie Bryce and my high school art teacher Gail Smith. This also includes my college professors and presidents, such as President Paula S. Wallace, Dr. Ricardo Romo, Tom Francis, and Steve Knudsen. All are great human beings, mentors, and friends.
To me, success is as much about the journey as it is about who you bring along with you. Life inevitably has its “ins and outs”—people come and go—but being able to hold onto a core group is absolutely wonderful. You really do take your community with you, and in my eyes, that is the true definition of success.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I truly believe that anyone, given enough time, resources, and energy, can accomplish almost anything they put their mind to. Trust the process, lean on your family and friends, and value your education. As we say at Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community: “Grow where you are planted.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rexhausmann.com & www.hausmannmillworks.com
- Instagram: rex_hausmann
- Facebook: rex_hausmann
- Other: Hausmann_Millworks
Image Credits
Image Credits: Rex, Rene, and Gene Hausmann at the New York Public Library for the American Academy in Rome Gala, 2025.
Image 2: Rex at Hausmann Millworks with the painting “Giver of Joy, Saint Jude” (2025), part of the Steve and Tami Griffin Collection, San Antonio, Texas.
Image 3: Karla Gurgiolo, Executive Director of Mission Heritage Partners, in the Rex Hausmann Studio at Hausmann Millworks
Image 4: The Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community Christmas Cookie Exchange, 2025. Image 5: Mount Fuji, Japan, and the project with Hausmann Millworks and SOS San Antonio, 2025.
Image 6: Image (left to right): Rachel Reyna, Rene Reyna, Renee Hausmann, Rex Hausmann, Gene Hausmann, and Monique Layhee at the American Academy in Rome Gala 2025 at the New York Public Library in New York City.
Image 7: Rex and his nephews, Justice and Judge, at home in Boerne, Texas, at “The Ranchita,” Friendly Laughter Farm. Image
8: The cigar box painting Mission San Juan Capistrano (2026), painted on-site. From the collection of Murphy Emmons, San Antonio, Texas.
Image 9: Rex Hausmann and Murphy Emmons at Van’s on Broadway, a favorite spot in San Antonio, Texas, known for great dinners, a massive wine collection, and great memories.