I am a New Orleans-based painter and musician originally from Fulton, IL. I earned my B.A. in printmaking from Western Illinois University and his MFA at the University of New Orleans in 2017. My art has graced the walls of galleries in Warsaw, Chicago, Kansas City, Washington D.C., Portland, Los Angeles, Austin, Miami, and New Orleans. My show "Fire Department" at the Dubuque Museum of Art in Dubuque, Iowa, was exhibited beside one of America’s most treasured artists, Grant Wood. In 2012 I was commissioned to paint a portrait for Matthew McConaughey's personal collection.

My work has been featured in publications such as Time Out Chicago, Art and Art Galleries of the South, Art+Design New Orleans, as well as the Rizzoli book Stickers: From Punk Rock to Contemporary Art.  I'm also the subject of the independent documentary film Brent Houzenga: Hybrid Pioneer.

Describe your art in three words.

Xactly Right Now

Describe yourself in one word.

Driven

What do you love the most about creating art in New Orleans? What particular part of your immediate environment, in your neighborhood specifically influences your work?

I live on a block where there is a lot of commotion, a lot of work being done, but ya know, in the most NOLA way. Working hard, playing hard. I love being part of the commotion, for work and for play.

Describe your creative process. Are there any rituals or rites of passage you exercise before you begin a new piece?

Get to work! Keep working! My work is the ritual. Gotta do it everyday.

Where do you draw inspiration?

Inspiration draws me. I don't go looking for it (usually), it usually finds me and smacks me hard upside the head.

Who are your artistic influences or gurus?

I love it all. Comic books and street art were the early influences. I'm mostly influenced by the world and by experience. If I had to pick a guru it would be my mentor and friend Terry Rathje, who was my graphic design professor in undergrad. He introduced me to a lot of different thought processes and methods. 

In New Orleans, art and music go hand in hand. What type of music, band or song lyric best describes your work?

The Clash

Where can we find you when you are not creating art?

Hanging out with my son, looking for bugs.

What is your favorite time of day/day of the week/month of the year?

I like that one perfect moment which can happen at any time.

What is something people don’t know about you? A fun fact.

I won four silver dollars in a drawing competition for the FFA (Future Farmers of America) when I was in fourth grade.

All works listed online are available to be viewed at Where Y’Art Gallery by appointment. 

Visit Houzenga.com to see more work and current exhibitions.

Please allow 7-14 days shipping for standard orders. All packages are shipped within the Continental United States through the USPS via Priority Mail with Tracking and Insurance.

For international shipping prices, rush orders or commissions, please login in and send me a private message through the messaging tool on my profile page.