Meet Drew Ernst | Fine Artist/Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Drew Ernst and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Drew, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Work life balance is interesting for an artist.Being an artist is so much a part of who I’am that the lines between life and work get blurred. The reality is you are always working in your head. It is important to take time away from the creative process. It’s in those moments that inspiration hits.
For example in 2020 I rode my bicycle across the USA from Maine to Seattle. That experience has informed a new way of painting for me.
As for the day to day routine I’m up early at the gym then into the studio painting all day. Most of the time is a seven day a week routine.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I went to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art in Philadelphia. PAFA is the oldest art school in the country. While at PAFA is spent all my time learning how to paint classically. PAFA has a 218 year history of grand scale painting. I’d say one of the biggest take aways was painting on a large scale. Considering the tedious nature of the paintings I make painting large sets them apart from most artist in that world.
I got very lucky and started showing in galleries just out of college. My first two or three solo art shows were near sell outs.

There is a bit of an undercurrent in the classical painting world that if a painting isn’t realistic then its not valid. I have never subscribed to that way of thinking towards painting. I’ve always maintained that a painting is powerful if it hits our collective unconscious. Whatever the subjectmatter realistic or abstract its a powerful creative idea that wins out.

I have two sides to my work.
There is the classical very polished side. These paintings can take weeks and months to create depicting images and allegories in a very realistic way.
Then there are the abstract paintings. These paintings are about emotion, spontaneity, and chance.
i can create more work in a faster amount of time. It’s a completely different way of working that requires a completely separate mindset.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d Walk the Higline in Chelsea and stop in for a drink at the Other Room in the West Village. Then hit some galleries in Chelsea. Then take the train up the Hudson river to my house in Hudson, NY. Feast and Floret, The maker, and Rivertown are great restaurants in Hudson.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ll dedicate this shoutout to my high school art teacher Chris Bunn. Chris has endless amounts of energy which always got her the title of one of the best
high school art teachers in Ohio. Year after year she turned out great artists in this tiny little
redneck town. She Had me teaching classes and talked the principle into letting me go home at noon to concentrate on my art.

After that I would say my college The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (Pafa) really informed the work I make to this day.

Website: chanyacestudio.com

Instagram: drewernstudio

Image Credits
All images are mine