Life & Work with Jill Hunt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jill Hunt.

Hi Jill, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and I had a love for art from a very young age. By high school, I knew I wanted a career in the art field. I went on to attend Nazareth College in Rochester as a Studio Art major with a concentration in Illustration, and Buffalo State College where I earned a degree in Art Education. After graduating, I made the move to Raleigh, NC to start the next chapter of my life and pursue my goals. I worked as an Art Educator in NC for more than 20 years. Within that time I also started a family and settled in Clayton, NC. In 2014, I had the opportunity to turn my focus toward my own artistic endeavors.

I opened an art gallery and studio in downtown Clayton and began to exhibit and sell my art throughout the state.

Shortly after, I became a resident artist of a gallery in downtown Raleigh, where I curated an exhibition space of my art for several years while continuing to teach art full time. I’m proud to have exhibited in a variety of juried solo and group shows and to have earned numerous awards for my work. I now operate my business as an online shop of my art and continue to exhibit my paintings at galleries and other venues throughout NC.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth or straight path. There have been lots of bumps and some detours. Over the years, it’s been an ongoing struggle for me to find or make time to create and market my art within my schedule as a parent and teacher. Prioritizing my art was difficult for me, especially when my battery was running low. I had to be very selective and realistic in the goals and deadlines I set for myself as well as in scheduling time to meet them, whether it involved creating in my studio, updating my website and social media, applying for exhibitions, attending promotional events, or other necessary business.

There were also times that I had to just put it all to the side. This was often frustrating, and I’m sure many artists who work other full-time jobs find the same challenge. I’m fortunate that my husband and daughter have been extremely supportive of my art career every step of the way. Very recently, I both left the classroom and became an empty nester! So I’m now able to devote much more time and energy to my art and business and am excited for what’s ahead.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I create in a wide range of media, with a preference for oil and acrylic painting. Though my earlier paintings were largely figurative, my current body of work has evolved to the abstract. I enjoy the playful experimentation and freedom from expected outcomes that abstract art brings and I thrive on the creative challenge of conveying meaning in the absence of representational subject matter. Though I strive for a loose, child-like aesthetic in my paintings, my choices in the art-making process are very intentional. I intuitively begin each piece with a feeling I want to reflect on or a personal experience that I want to convey. The painting then becomes a puzzle of sorts that I try to solve as I layer paint and make marks on the canvas or paper. Only I know when I have achieved the final solution.

Through color and mark-making, my paintings convey the emotions of life experiences and are glimpses into my heart. The title of each painting is a hint at its personal meaning, but I choose to leave further interpretation to the viewer. Every individual’s life journey allows them to connect to my work in distinct ways, which I find to be one of the best things about art. How we perceive, feel, and recollect is unique to each of us, but we can also connect in these ways. Through my paintings, I continually seek to create that connection.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Tenacity and a willingness to put myself out there have been essential. Being an artist is a competitive profession and the art I create is highly personal to me. Sharing my art means placing myself in the vulnerable position of being very seen, and of my art being judged.

This isn’t easy and requires understanding that others’ opinions about my work are subjective. Positive or negative, I learn and grow from them as needed, then keep creating and sharing my art. Connecting with others through my art is what I strive to do, so I try to maintain confidence that what I have to share is meaningful, unique and that others need it as much as I need to create it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.JillHuntEclecticArt.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jillhuntart
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jillhuntart
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/jillhuntart