Folk Art Residency

     Today, I began my residency with James Hunter, spending four hours at his house from 10 am to 2 pm. He is the grandson of the late folk artist Clementine Hunter. During this time, I observed him painting and sharing stories with me. With a sketchbook, I took notes and sketched a few images as he narrated his tales and explained his painting process. Despite my expectations, I discovered that James is a more of a minimalist artist who works with simple tools. His shed and house were remarkably clean and uncluttered. Using small brushes and a halved Powerade bottle for water, he maintained a tidy work area. Although there were paint stains on his tablecloth and dry paint on his brushes, he considered himself messy, yet I found his workspace quite organized.

     James revealed that he paints from memory without needing references. To overcome artist's block, he searches for his grandmother's artwork online, recreating them true to the original before experimenting with different colors. Mixing colors directly on his brush without blending them fully, he creates unique scenes by merging various paintings together. His preferred paint is Daffodil Yellow from FolkArt. He mentioned that there was just something different about that color that draws him to it.

     Before starting a painting, James sketches the design with a sharpie marker and uses pure paint without mixing colors. He thins down acrylic paint with water for a smoother application.
When I inquired about his livelihood, James mentioned that he supports himself by assisting a friend during farming and crawfish seasons, but mainly earns from his paintings.
He shared a story about Mike Jones, a horse rider who would recklessly fall off his horse when tired, and sleep wherever he landed. James mentioned his childhood experiences with Mike, who would let him ride his horse for amusement. James explained that he always loved horses and it was always a special treat.

Residency Proposal
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Residency Proposal is subjected to change.

Gavin Bridges

MFA Student, Artist, and Creator