CRITT HUNTER     ARTISTIC STATEMENT

Art first interested me in the 3rd grade.  Really! I recall an assignment that required students to paint a garden.  Using the typical grade school tempera paint, we jumped at the opportunity to avoid class work.  Little did I realize that some sixty years later, one of my painting focuses would be nature’s florals and vegetation. Much later as a freshman at the University of Kentucky, my drawing 101 professor taught perspective. A new interest surfaced.  Thus, my artistic directions were determined by past experiences presented to me by wonderful educators.

During my years teaching the elective art, I found my classroom filled with students of varying interests and backgrounds.  Many of these were perceived as “unique and different” … square pegs that did not fit the round hole.  With joy I share, my room was a neutral zone where mismatched students found that art brings a respected unity, a sense of equality.  The reality was the square pegs maintained their dignity and found strategies to successfully fit the round hole. Now, I realize the environment that I established would move forward to 2020 and my personal artistic search.  A major stretch and exploration lead me to “my style”.

My process leads me to things often overlooked.  Unavoidably individuals rush through the day, meeting family needs and work demands.  If only time allowed a curiosity, a pause to look closely at the beauty around one’s daily life.  My pause leads me to a subject, and I then photograph the image.  This is followed by a sketch on canvas or paper.  Then my fun begins. Looking at my work one sees the use of local color.  Yet, a closer look/study finds arbitrary colors.  My goal is to use these colors that do not belong to add interest and bring a pause.

The result of my process brought a welcome gift, a self-gratification that I never imagined possible. I found a validation that a square peg can fit the round hole and grow into an artist of merit.