Josh Hunt
The Village Gallery of Local Artists will feature abstract artist Josh Hunt during the month of December. Hunt is one of the newest members of the gallery and has been since Oct 1. His deeply inspired work is thought-provoking and adds a new artistic genre to the gallery.
Hunt’s Artist Statement says “Painting is a symbiotic relationship. I don’t create things as much as I uncover them. The images I produce are parts of me, hidden, in waiting, and when I find them I also find a part myself, and so the image, and I, become more alive. I share these images because it’s the most comfortable way for me to share myself.”
Hunt’s work is built around the idea of a piece of art having a life of its own. He works in layers, building up and stripping away paint, much like how a person grows and changes over time. Working with as many different tools as possible, he tends to choose graphite pencils, charcoal, watercolor crayons, and acrylic paint. He also uses different types of surfaces and often tries to dirty up the paper by soaking it in things like old coffee. Hunt’s paintings generally have a used look to them, because he wants them to have history and scars, to depict layers of experience, much like the Southwestern landscape, or people in general.
Hunt says, “I hope my paintings resonate with people emotionally and they recognize some of their own life’s journey in my work. I want my art to be a friend who can empathize with whatever they may be struggling with when they look at it.”
Born and raised in the Southwest, Hunt has lived most of his life in Arizona. He earned a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from Northern Arizona University where he studied native peoples of the southwest and Mexico. During his graduate studies, Hunt taught himself web design and eventually ended up working as a web and graphic designer. While looking to beef up his design skills he sought out painting courses. Hunt found artist Laura Daughtry, who became his mentor and encouraged him to move away from the digital realm and pursue painting. Hunt discovered how painting gave him an outlet to express his emotions, and the strength to grow. Hunt explains; “I knew then that I was going to be a painter and from that moment on, my entire focus was on pursuing painting and fine art.”
The Village Gallery of Local Artists will host a reception for Josh Hunt on Friday, December 3rd from 5-8 PM. Refreshments will be served and many other artist members will attend the festivities.
The Village Gallery is located at 6512 State Route 179 in the Village of Oak Creek. Applications for new membership are always welcome. For more information, stop by the gallery, call (928) 284-1416, or visit the website at https://sedonalocalartists.com.
