Textiles, apparel and merchandising senior Madison Buratt started painting as a way to relax, but with a bit of luck and the help of Instagram, she’s managed to grow her hobby into a business.
Most recently, Buratt’s work was part of the traveling pop-up Pancakes and Booze Art Show in New Orleans on Sept. 15. Her work will also be on display in a Halloween show called “Saturday Spooks” on Oct. 27 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge has included her work in their Firehouse Gallery in Downtown Baton Rouge. Outside of the Arts Council, Instagram and Etsy have helped her get connected with the art community and grow her business.
Buratt began selling her art on Etsy when a complete stranger saw some of her work in the background of an Instagram post and asked to buy one of the pieces. The confidence she got from that first sale led to her posting more of her paintings on her Etsy store, which all sold out.
“I was very fortunate — it was all kind of just spur of the moment,” Buratt said. “Like, I never took an art class.”
Buratt’s abstract paintings are inspired by whatever she’s feeling at the time. She said she will sometimes listen to music, but mostly paints as a way to work out her own feelings and emotions.
“I find I’m a nervous person, like I don’t know how to relax, so if I have a lot of energy I’ll just sit down and paint,” Buratt said. “I figure out how I feel by looking at what I painted. This is never typically pre-sketched — I just paint and hope for the best.”
This is the first year Buratt has started showing her art in shows and galleries, but she has already had her work shown in three shows since February. Buratt first submitted some of her work to the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge to start showing her paintings beyond her Etsy store. Her work was first on display at Cane Land Distilling Company for six months.
“I don’t take myself this seriously so I kind of just laugh and go with it,” Buratt said. “I feel like if I had tried I wouldn’t have gotten it.”
In addition to her painting, Buratt is the president of the Fashion Association at LSU. Buratt has been interested in fashion since she was a kid and would draw along with the challenges on Project Runway. Before she started the textiles, apparel and merchandising program at the University, she had little sewing experience.
Buratt has a carefully curated personal style, as evidenced by her Instagram account. Her red, black and white color palette finds its way into her artwork as well as in the projects she designs for her school work. She credits Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang and Vivienne Westwood as her favorite brands and designers.
Since her art has taken off so well, Buratt plans to continue painting and pursue art over fashion once she graduates from the University in May 2019.
“I’ve been really lucky with my art, to the point where I can pay my own rent, so I’m hoping it stays,” Buratt said. “I have three art shows coming up and possibly a gallery. I’m hoping I can keep up my social media and market myself through that.”
