We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hunter Jay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hunter below.

Alright, Hunter thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I credit my approach to painting largely to the 1940 film “Fantasia.” My parents knew I loved music and had an inclination for it, so though we were rarely ever taken to the theatre for a movie…they made an exception for this. It was a major event for me at age six, and little did I suspect how much it would impact the rest of my life. My parents didn’t know at the time that I was equally interested in the visual arts because, well…I didn’t know it myself either. That came later. But looking back on that childhood experience in the movie theatre, and being taken to another world via the film “Fantasia,” is what continues to fascinate me to this very day, which may be one of the reasons my colors are so intense, vibrant and saturated. The enchanted landscapes of Walt Disney are very subtle in my paintings, and may not be immediately noticeable…but that is where the inspiration was born.

I have my parents to thank for recognizing this experience. After the movie was over, and we were back home, they found me re-creating the scenes from the film with crayons and the leftover white cardboard inserts from my mom’s pantyhose packages. (We didn’t have any drawing paper). From that point on, every Christmas and birthday involved presents of art supplies!

Hunter, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a fine arts acrylic painter, via diverting paths of graphic design, telecommunications, and retail! It took me a very long time to figure it out. I mean, you would’ve thought with my innate artistic talent, I would have just jumped out of the box and started painting. But no, I was not a risk taker. I had confidence in my art, but not confidence in making a living at it. Fast forward to 2002, when I first picked up a paint brush to canvas. I simply wanted something to go over my sofa.

And then the miracle happened. I had certainly experimented with paint before, but never on canvas. It was such a revelation. The painting turned out so much better than I expected (I still have it and love it) and a new world opened up for me. It was another 14 years before I became a full-time painter, but I knew then what I know now. It was what I was born to do. It’s never too late.

I create stylized realistic paintings based on nature and emotion. I also work in impressionism and abstract concepts. Though I work in several different styles, the common theme is a saturation of color; a vibrancy. I once had an art teacher who complained that I only wanted to paint things that were beautiful. Well why not? With all the anger and chaos in the world, this is something I can provide. This is what I want my clients and followers to experience. My work is a place of refuge, emotionally and spiritually.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I’m 65 years old now. When I was a youth, I simply did not know what possibilities for artists were. There of course was no internet in 1976, when I graduated from high school. The only art career I knew of which could semi-guarantee any kind of stability was working as a graphic designer in an ad agency. Fine artist? I never considered it. I thought that was a career for trust fund babies who didn’t really need to work. Being from a small town in West Tennessee, I didn’t know of fine art schools. And truthfully, a lot of them didn’t exist back then. I am thinking specifically of the fine institution of Savannah School of Art and Design, but there are many more that didn’t arrive on the scene until much later. I took some art classes in college, just for fun as an elective. I was encouraged to dive more into my art, but I simply couldn’t see how that would work in the real world. Also, at that time in the 70s, the focus on fine art was on extreme abstract art. What I liked to do wasn’t seen as very valuable. I kept getting pushed in directions in my art classes into places I didn’t want to go.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’ve built my social media presence by simply being myself, and making myself vulnerable by sharing personal joys AND disappointments, but always with a positive spin, because I am at heart…a positive person. I have seen many artists who only post a photo of a painting, listing the size and the medium. That’s it. That’s the post. I advise against doing that repetitively, although there is certainly a time and place for it. I mean, I do that myself, but I balance it out with personal stories. People buy art because they like the work itself, but ALSO because they form a connection with the artist on some level. They want to know what you look like! They want to see work in progress, messy as it may seem. In fact, sometimes the messier the better.

I have a Facebook personal site that has grown exponentially because I like to write (another creative outlet) and there I focus a lot on humor. It is there that I reveal as much of my personality as is possible. It’s not ‘public’ but I am always open to followers. SO many of my followers there buy my work because they have a connection with ME as a human being. They then follow my Facebook BUSINESS page, which is not quite as personal, but still reveals who I am as a person. In addition, a lot of my business posts on Facebook are mirrored on an Instagram business account.

Truly, I find the key to success in social media is to allow people IN. Drop the facade. Let your guard down as much as is possible for you. Share the joys and triumphs, but also share the setbacks and disappointments.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hunterjaygalleries.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunterjaygalleries/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HunterJayGalleries
• Other: https://pixels.com/profiles/hunter-jay https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/hunter-jay-10009
• https://www.artfulhome.com/navigate?searchTerm=Hunter+jay