Charlie Hunter – Savvy Painter

Charlie Hunter in his studio

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Charlie Hunter’s passion for painting and the arts is contagious. He shares his journey, talks about what you can do to keep your focus and improve your skills. Charlie also talks about:

How a 20 minute habit keeps the monkey off your back.
How your brilliance harms your creativity.
The joy of making a big mess and falling flat on your face.
How he found his voice as a ‘water boy’.
What artists can learn from baseball players.
A cold beer and an intervention by the Putney Painters.

Books:

Of course he was honored that Richard Schmid chose to include one of Charlie’s sketches in Alla Prima II. But that’s not why Charlie recommends the book. It’s just the best written book out there for oil painters.

“I do not know if I have ever said no one is born with a natural sense of design, but if it is within the realm of human evolution, or the whim of the Divine, to allow one individual to possess such a gift, then Charlie Hunter is certainly the lucky winner… No Oriental or Occidental master of the pure line can surpass what Charlie, almost matter-of-factly, does when he takes pencil in hand.” – Richard Schmid, ALLA PRIMA II, 2013

Art:

When asked if he could have a work by any living artist, Charlie picked Xu Bing’s Phoenix sculpture. I have to admit, I was not familiar with his sculpture and the story behind it. I dug around and found a lot of articles on the series, but I prefer to hear it straight from the artist himself. The documentary video on Vimeo is about 20 minutes, but well worth the time:
Itinerant Pictures presents XU BING: PHOENIX

Charlie will need a big yard but it’s a beautiful piece. Thank you, Charlie, for introducing me to the work of Xu Bing!

Music:

With a background as a music manager, it’s no surprise that music plays an important role in Charlie’s work. He quoted a few songs that resonate with his paintings:

Living on the road my friend was going to make you free and clean
but now you wear your skin like iron and your breath is as hard as kerosene.

~Townes Van Zandt

Charlie talks about a few bands and two songs in particular that he’s listening to these days. Listening to these artists and looking at Charlie’s paintings, I absolutely feel the connection with Chris Whitley and Townes Van Zandt.

And to round it out, Dog City by Crack the Sky.

Charlie’s Work

To see more of his work, visit Charlie’s website: hunter-studio.com
There’s even a throwback to his graphic design days: Charlie Hunter’s music poster designs

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Antrese, I stumbled across your interview while checking out Charlie Hunter. What a great job! Thank you for what you are doing. Very natural, not leading.