For San Antonio-born artist Annlyn Osborn, the deep fascination with the desert that inspires her work was sparked at a very young age. Splitting her time creating between Aspen and San Antonio with works showing in galleries throughout Texas and the Southwest and commissioned pieces displayed in homes throughout the country, Osborn opens up about Haute Horns, her passion to give back to the community through her art, and her special connection to Georgia O’Keeffe – the mother of American modernism.
On creating your own career:
I never thought I would become a self-sufficient artist. I thought my future held a completely different path for me, but thankfully, my eclectic life experiences have allowed me to create a career that feeds my passions in all aspects of my life. I am an artist, a huntress, a conservationist, an antiques collector, a traveler and a dancer (even if the dancing is mostly done when I stand up from my work table to stretch). I could not imagine a more fulfilling way to spend my time than to split it between all of the things that make my soul soar.
On Haute Horns and remaining authentic:
I try to avoid following any one specific style of art. That can raise eyebrows among critics, but–so be it. My only guidelines that I adhere to include the materials I prefer to use: seed beads, African trade beads and Swarovski crystals, and the medium on which I apply them: skulls. Most of my clients seek me out for commissioned pieces, so it is more important to me that my work compliments that individual’s lifestyle and space, instead of having a well-known style that I produce in repetition.
On giving back:
I live and breathe my work right now as a burgeoning artist. Because of that, my latest efforts to create community impact have been in the form of artwork donations to fundraisers for nonprofits that I hold near and dear to my heart: The McNay, The Brighton Center, The San Antonio Zoo, The Mind Science Foundation and The Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance, to name a few. As my business grows, I am looking forward to building a platform that provides income not only for me, but for causes that I feel deserve to be recognized.
On her personal female hero:
Growing up, my summers always included a family road trip from San Antonio through Santa Fe, to a ranch in Chama, New Mexico: truly one of my favorite places on Earth. One hour away from arriving in Chama is a turnoff for the famous “Ghost Ranch,” where the red cliffs and adobe structures once provided inspiration for some of Georgia O’Keeffe’s most famous works. From a very young age, I have been captivated by the stories of O’Keeffe, the “mother of American modernism.” I have always admired her passion and firm stance on how she lived her life and created her art. I fell in love with her bone and skull works and knew early on that I also wanted to find a creative way to display not death, but my own version of (as O’Keeffe eloquently put), “symbolizing the eternal beauty of the desert.”
Connect with Annlyn Osborn @haute_horns.
This profile was (Em)Powered by Haute Horns.
Edited from an interview by Eleanora Morrison.