Andrea Pramuk

“Painting feels as natural to me as breathing. By allowing the light to determine the composition, the sense of space can be ethereal, airy, and soft. Even though I use a simplistic subject matter and color palette, the ideas and spaces are more complex and deep.”

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Andrea received formal art training at LSU, Kansas City Art Institute, the University of Texas at Austin, and the SACI program in Florence, Italy. Home is Austin, Texas, the one place that nurtures her holistic and universal approach to making art.

What movie never gets old no matter how many times you’ve seen it?

ANSWER: Lost in Translation with Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve seen it. There is a sense of real vs existential isolation, I respond to both as an introvert and as someone who used to travel quite a bit. Being alone vs loneliness is a struggle everyone deals with at some point I think, maybe now more than ever.

Coffee or Tea?

ANSWER: Two cups of coffee first thing, more in the afternoon and then maybe tea in the evening, but, coffee if I had to choose!

Favorite or most inspirational place?

ANSWER: I do have a few places I really like to go.The closest place on my list is South Padre Island, TX. At the very tip of the island, you can find a spot facing the Gulf of Mexico covered with sand dunes where you feel as though you’ve reached the end of the earth. Look to the left and see Laguna Madre bay and to the right, the ocean. A truly magical place, you might see one other person, but even that is rare.

What kind of physical activities do you like doing?

Answer: The work I do is fairly physical from the process of painting itself to varnishing, packaging, photographing and shipping work, for example. I love that it’s not a desk job for the most part. But, for exercise, I take a walk most every day and do morning Qi Dong breath exercises.

What are your tips for taking care of your mental health?

Answer: I have a few. Surprisingly and maybe unpopular, eliminating alcohol for the past 10 months has improved my emotional wellbeing, physical health, stress levels and quality of sleep. The money saved with this one life change, we can live on for at least 1 month now, so I see it as a fortuitous happenstance given the circumstances. A daily walk and fresh air always help my mood, as does taking a hot shower. Last, I look for ways to be kind to others no matter how small; the rewards are tenfold.

Website: https://www.andreapramuk.com