Today we’d like to introduce you to Maureen Hudas.
Hi Maureen, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Born and raised in Philadelphia PA where I studied art and design at Moore College of Art and Design for two years. I then obtained my degree in Interior Design from the University of Dayton in Ohio. Snow boarded in CO for a year after graduating and then settled in Orlando in 1995. I started in the theme park industry here working for Universal Studios/Lowes Hotel painting color boards and designing Trompe’L’oiel details for the Portofino Bay Hotel during its construction. From there I entered the world of Scenic Art for the theme parks and worked over the next few years with some of the area’s biggest contractors of specialty theme park construction and painting. After a few years, I branched off to independently design and paint themed healing environments in several Florida Adventist Hospitals as well as an Adventist Hospital in Bolingbrook IL. 10 years later and at the mercy of the big recession of 2008, I resurfaced back into scenic art for theme parks with the construction of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. I remained in the industry until the Covid-19 pandemic when I decided to be independent once again to focus on mural painting. I began with a community mural in Paramore that I volunteered my time on while mentoring young upcoming artists that wanted to learn the mural making process. I continue to work today on all kinds of murals from residential to commercial to community murals and in between those, I try to do paintings to participate in group art shows or paint commissioned portraits as well as other custom art.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been easy. The recession in 2008 brought my business of 10 years to an end and it was tough going back to work for other people in the scenic industry. While the work itself could, at times, fulfill my need to do creative work, it was often overshadowed by the physical demands of working long hours on construction sites or in dusty noisy shops, night shift hours at Disney, being a female on construction sites (ummm construction site Porto potty’s are the worst!!) feeling undervalued for my skill level and experience compared to men with less experience who would be moved into supervisor/management positions, politics, nepotism and realizing someone is making large profits off your talent, but you aren’t being paid your worth….you know, capitalism. (you don’t have to put the dig at capitalism in, lol!)
Leaving a steady paycheck to start my own business again has also been a challenge. So much hard work to do everything such as find clients, write up proposals, design the murals, purchase supplies, set up and break down job sites, execute the mural, keep track of employee hours/pay, find skilled AND hard-working artists (and vice versa) record receipts and expenses, write up Invoices all while answering lots of emails and setting up future projects. I really need a full time assistant, I know, as soon as I can afford one.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a freelance artist. I like to create all kinds of art, but am known for murals and have done both interior and exterior commercial and residential projects in the Orlando area over the last 25 years. I did my first community mural in the summer of 2019 during Covid lockdowns and following the death of George Floyd. I felt the urge to use art to send a message to the Paramore community. Art, in all its forms, has the power to transform pain into something beautiful. It’s why music and art can be so moving. It can reach all of us at such a level that we are reminded of our common humanity. This project was one of my favorites for many reasons. The owner of the building, Ryan Young of Interstruct Inc. pretty much gave me free reign on the design and concept. (that is rare), I got to work with a good friend and fellow artist, Christy McCutcheon, and we mentored three young artists who had never worked on a mural. The subject of the mural, Jennifer Desire, who was in the forefront of many of the Orlando protests after George Floyd was killed, also started her own non-profit organization and partnered with Interstruct Inc to go on to hold many community events at the mural. Along with volunteers, they held grocery giveaways, free clothing, hot meals, toys at Christmas, free haircuts, Covid-19 testing and more to both the residents and homeless in Paramore. It became everything that I could hope a community mural could be. At my age, it feels only right that I try to give back what I’ve learned to young artists and hopefully they will remember and do the same and when they are established in their careers. It’s a cycle worth repeating.
How do you think about happiness?
Human connection. What does anything else matter in this world if you don’t have anyone to share it with? Also cats. Cats make me happy.
Contact Info:
- Email: Maureen@maureenhudas.com
- Website: maureenhudas.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/maureenhudasart
- Facebook: Maureen Robinson Hudas
