Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Hawkins, aka Mama Hawk.
Erin, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve always been artistically inclined and was fortunate to have a high school art teacher who fully encouraged my love of art and directed my type A tendencies toward graphic design, with which I fell in love. After getting my BFA in graphic design at James Madison University in Virginia, I was living the corporate life at a PR firm and then a start-up company where I focused on graphic design, marketing, and special events. Then in 2013, in a matter of months, I lost my job due to downsizing, moved to a new city with my husband, and had my first child. Quite a lot of unexpected changes that led to me no longer working a typical 9-5 job, but suddenly having more time to explore my lettering craft.
For the first six months while at home with my son I would practice lettering every day and, bravely, post my work on Instagram. Now when I look back at those posts, I cringe at the bad lighting and poor technique, but it’s incredibly encouraging to see how far I have come in the past six years. It helps me to be a better teacher and support other lettering artists when they follow me on social media or join me in one of my hand lettering workshops.
Fast forward four years, and two more babies, I officially started my company, Mama Hawk Draws, here in Macon, Georgia. Over the last few years, I have worked with a lot of local, mostly female-owned businesses. With these clients, I have been able to incorporate lettering into their graphic design and marketing needs. I teach lettering workshops on a regular basis where students learn the basics of lettering and how they can bring their own quirky voice into their personal lettering style. Lastly, I have been designing and executing murals throughout the community to help bring beauty to private and public spaces.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do? Why? And what do you hope others will take away from your work?
The past year I have been focusing on lettering on new and unusual materials. Mediums range from reclaimed wood, cutting boards, vintage maps, and giant walls. I love the challenges lettering on atypical surfaces creates and how I can incorporate the unique design of the object with my lettering. For example, I repurposed reclaimed stair treads taken from a historical house that was being demolished and created front porch welcome signs. The aged wood was full of character, and I lettered welcoming phrases onto the surface to create a warm greeting for guests.
This past year I have been exploring the idea of size with lettering. Specifically, can we make it bigger? One of my first murals was a wall that I painted the number seven in different fonts and styles, with the biggest seven being over 16 feet tall! This was for a new local businesses’ feature wall in the heart of their showroom floor. The combination of the size of the sevens and the quantity on the wall helps customers remember that they are shopping at the one of a kind 7th Street Salvage.
Another client, a local real estate developer, was rehabbing the 18th-century factory into modern lofts living spaces. To show the history of the building, I created a faux ghost sign (a distressed mural) of one of the original tenant’s logo. This involved recreating the original logo and painting it on the entryway wall. Then going back and distressing (sanding, steel wool, wire brushing) the logo in a way to make it look like it was originally part of the building. This gave the new lofts authentic character without purchasing decor from a big box store, and the art told the history of the building.
Most recently, I volunteered my time and talents to partner with a local public middle school to create a 77-foot long inspirational mural. With the help from the school’s art teacher, I was able to find a location in the school that would have the most impact on the students, teachers, and staff. The quote I chose is a message that would provide daily inspiration for the students: You’ll move mountains! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting…so get on your way! By Dr. Seuss. I then created an impactful illustration that supports the quote and would be appropriate for a large scale installation. While designing the mural, I needed to consider how the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at the middle school could easily participate in painting with me. Student participation was crucial to the success of the mural. If the students were active participants in the process, they would take ownership of the piece, and therefore be less likely to vandalize the piece. They could also take pride and feel encouraged every time they saw their hard work. This is the most fulfilling project I’ve worked on so far. In the five short days on site, I lost track of how many times I was told thank you for painting the mural. I was overwhelmed with the feeling of joy every time a student walked by and told a fellow student, “Hey, I did that!” as they pointed to the mural. Because of this project, I am currently looking into more ways to include local students in my mural projects by either creating murals in their schools or having them participate with me in other murals in the community.
With all of my work, I strive to create art that makes people happy. Whether it’s lettering an inspirational quote, using bright colors, or piquing their curiosity with hand lettering. I want people to walk away from my artwork with a smile on their face.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
One of the roles artists have taken is to be the voice for others who have not been heard. In today’s toxic political climate it’s easy to be overwhelmed and distraught by everything that is happening. As an artist, I try to focus on how I can create positivity in today’s world and make something that, maybe just for a minute, will make you feel good inside. I want my artwork to lead with love and to be that piece of encouragement we all need some times.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can follow my lettering journey through social media on Instagram and Facebook, @MamaHawkDraws. One of my goals for 2019 is to have an online shop open, so anyone can purchase my work. Until then, if you find yourself visiting Macon, swing by 7th Street Salvage (230 7th Street, Macon), and you can purchase some of my smaller pieces. I also take commissions and collaborations and can be reached directly at MamaHawkDraws@gmail.com. I would love to find more opportunities to paint large scale lettering projects, as well as teach more lettering workshops.
Contact Info:
- Website: instagram.com/mamahawkdraws
- Phone: 15404356115
- Email: MamaHawkDraws@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/mamahawkdraws
- Facebook: facebook.com/mamahawkdraws/
Image Credit:
Photo of Erin Hawkins by Erin NeSmith
All other photos by Erin Hawkins
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