By Shira Adler
When her father asked her to paint a mural in his new office last year, Fashion Institute of Technology student Abigail Glass could never have imagined where it would take her. Now, after graduating FIT in May, she is a freelance illustrator and mural artist, and her works can be found throughout the New York/New Jersey area.
As a lifelong artist, Glass started taking art classes at a young age, and continued to complete the Art Academy program at the SKA High School for Girls, which culminates in the AP Studio Art course. “I decided, in that moment, to apply to art schools,” Glass said about her first day in that AP class, ultimately leading her to attend FIT.
After completing her first mural in her father’s office last year, Glass’s name spread rapidly, beginning with other people in the office and eventually reaching their clients and friends. To maximize this, Glass began placing a QR code with the link to her website next to every piece to make it easier for interested clients to contact her directly. In addition to the murals, many of Gass’s smaller pieces were printed hung around the office as well. “It’s like a gallery,” she said.
One of the first pieces that Glass worked on after graduating last month was a beautiful children’s lending library in Teaneck, complete with engaging characters and bright colors. “It got a lot of attention,” she said, adding that it has already opened up more opportunities for her, since people who have seen it have contacted her to paint something for them. “It’s really great, because I get to do all these different jobs, and one leads to the next through word of mouth.”
In addition to painting, Glass also does digital work for small companies, including animatics, character design and background art. “It’s really amazing to get to do all these different things,” she remarked, happy to be able to use her talents in so many different ways.
Most recently, Glass completed a mural on the wall of a client’s indoor basketball court. “She wanted something in the realm of sports that was colorful, fun, and kid-friendly,” the young artist said. “I then went ahead and just started creating different concepts that are similar to what I’d like; then I showed them a few options, and we’d go from there.
“It’s so exciting because every client’s different.” Glass added that working with each client on their design is one of her favorite parts of her job. “You really never know what they’re going to want.” Some clients also get inspired by one of her works that they’ve seen. Glass noted that she loves being able to creatively incorporate parts of the original piece into the new design.
To see more of Abigail Glass’s work, or to contact her, please visit her website www.abigail-glass.com
Shira Adler is a Jewish Link summer intern and a rising junior at Stern College. She lives in Teaneck.
