Meet Rex Hausmann

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rex Hausmann. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rex below.

Rex , thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

Your creativity is in every day.

There is a very interesting term: quotidian.

The definition of quotidian is of or occurring every day; daily.

Simply put: read, study, go to school and trust the process. If education is in your path, attain the highest level of education that you can and apply for scholarships and grants.

ln my early life. My mother and father took the television out of my life and my brother’s life when we were 11. Because of that we had to go outside and play. Simply put we got bored! But in that boredom we both learned, Erik, my brother learned to play about 11 different instruments. Being self taught. He still plays them to this day. I learned to paint and draw, I still remember the mural in my bedroom when I was a kid. So I have to credit early on my mother and father for having that kind of foresight. They also put us in every extracurricular afterschool program. You can imagine that is led to both my brother and I having a lifelong interest in learning.

Creativity comes from a daily practice of putting one’s mind to something day after day after day. Through the monotony and through the excitement you draw straight a line. Over a long period of time, given some effort and some thought you will find whatever you’re looking for. Just stick with it and keep at it. Have great mentors, connections with family, and friends and down time.

Read the past (history) for what has been in the past will be repeated.

I think the highest form of creativity comes from knowing oneself, and knowing one’s place in the world at large. I know this is more of a philosophical concept, but art and the humanities have always lived in this space.

I would say on a daily basis journal. If you can longhand or use a typewriter. Something that takes time. Something that slows your brain down.

Take walks and pay attention, pay attention to everything around you. Creativity can be sitting in a bus lobby or taking a ride in an Uber or the subway. You can be creative on an airplane, or even in your own room or home. Be creative with your environment anything that’s around you, I love libraries and books, gardens, and public spaces. I love to watch gardens grow over the years and tend to them. You see so much develop. It inspires the light in paintings.

In my own personal observations divide three subjects and expectations :

Creativity
Art
Art in the history of art making

Creativity.
Creativity can be anything. The way you draw in a notebook. Creating crafts or knitting being fashionable in the way you dress. That is creativity.

Now, zoom in.

Art.
Art is the pursuit of the visual language. At least in my case it’s painting. Art can take many forms of painting hanging on the wall, something you made that you thought was creative or the rendering of something you see or an idea you’ve articulated. This can be something that looks really interesting, or is thoughtful. Something that catches your eye or looks good above the couch. There are many forms of art.

Now zoom in more:

Art in the history of art making.

Now this is a much more complicated subject. This is the track I find myself pursuing and I have been trained in for the past 25 years. I have a degree in undergraduate studies in art and art history, as well as a graduate degree in painting and art history. I attained these degrees from The University of Texas at San Antonio and transferred to The Savannah College of Art and Design on full scholarship. I teach in France from time to time at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Lacoste & lecture of and on, mostly on art and art making. For the past 11 years, I’ve traveled extensively, studying art in place by going to Spain to study Goya or Picasso. Or Southern France to study Paul Cezzane or Vincent van Gogh. Now we’re going to Japan! Hokusai!

Art in the history of art making is considering what you make in art, analyzed and super imposed against some of the greatest artists of our time. Individuals like Picasso, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Hokusai, basically anything in the history of art and art history. This is a very linear thought process that you have to navigate.

Balance that with the demands of every day life like paying bills, selling paintings navigating the academic, museum, and gallery world and justifying your existence…. and there you have it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a painter, and family member and cofounder of the Hausmann millworks creative community in San Antonio, Texas.

Link -> www.hausmannmillworks.com

We’ve been around a while, and reviews regularly in a number of publications and had lots of interviews, all of which I’m incredibly grateful for. I would highly recommend googling two things: “Hausmann Millworks” and “Rex Hausmann” these two things comprise of 18 years of work. I work at this every day with my family, my community and my friends.

Simply put it’s trying to find an artists place in society and in life.

Currently, we have three projects going on:

One is most recent, which is called the Innova collection “Canvas, and Smoke”. This is an exhibition that has a catalogue with it to open September 12, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas with a project called “21 briskets”, with a large collection of my work for Dr. Kasi Finley and her business Innova.

*free and open to the public

Link -> https://innovarecoverycenter.com/events/canvas-smoke/

This Fall, I will be starting a residency at the UNESCO world Heritage site for the San Antonio Missions National Parks as an artist in residence at one of the Missions/ Parks. The residency begins this Fall and I will be working with Mission Heratige Partners to create a body of work based on The San Antonio Missions. There will be a number of projects and an exhibition most likely at Mission San Juan in 2026. The residency is for the remainder of 2025 and is a project with The United States National Parks Services.

Link -> https://missionheritagepartners.org/

At the studios: We’re going to Japan with SOS San Antonio in November 2025:

Link -> https://www.sossanantonio.org/sos-for-adults-japan-trip.html

And that will close out 2025, in 2026 more with the studios and I may be in Rome (I’ll keep y’all posted at the end of August/ September)

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Education is a big one.

Applying for school and learning how to pay for school and then navigating school really set you up for the rest of your life. As well as always trying to challenge yourself once you get outside of school. So I would say try to obtain the highest level of education you can.

At a base level college, just proves to someone that you can begin and end something. It doesn’t make you who you are. I just prepares you for who you may become.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

I would most definitely say my mother and father. Whom I love very much and work with at The Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community.

Gail Smith, my high school art teacher.

Dr. Marcus Burke of the Hispanic Society of America.

Felix Padron, who was the director of the Department of Creativity for the City of San Antonio for a long time.

Lessie Bryce and Tom Bryce and Doug and Joy Moore who are pastors. One with the Navigatirs and the other one with the Baptist Church.

Arturo Almeida, who is the chief curator of the University of Texas in San Antonio (UTSA) presidential art collection.

Judge Peter Sakai who is our county commissioner. City of San Antonio.

Carina and Hans Goors who live in Italy now and Rene Barilleauxe who is the chief curator of The McNay Museum of Art in San Antonio.

Professor, Steve Knudsen and professor Tom Francis of The Savannah College of Art and Design. As well as Professor Denise Carson and of course President Paula Wallace and Glen.

Kate Shin in New York with Waterfall Mansion and Gallery.

Xixlt Herrera, Nestor Rayes and Nancy.

David Almaguer & Kyle Martin, Paul Martin … and too many friends and family to thank

Dr. Ricardo Romo, former president of The University of Texas at San Antonio.

A number of people in my life who are mentors and friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rexhausmann.com | www.hausmannmillworks.com
• Instagram: Rex_hausmann
• Facebook: Rex_hausmann
• Linkedin: Rex Hausmann

Image Credits

Photos: Al Rendon, Scout Guide San Antonio, Rex Hausmann, Hausmann Millworks: A Creative Community

Paintings: Rex Hausmann