Kevin Hutchinson
“My work does not try to evoke political statements, social commentary or move the viewer to action. Instead, I want my work to be a stress reliever, sending the observer to a place of beauty and peace. My hope is that my work allows the viewer to take a visual stroll down a tropical street or drift down a lazy Florida river. These paintings are a mental vacation and an ideal relief from today’s hectic life.”
Painting runs in my family. My father, James Hutchinson, is a nationally known and a Florida Artist Hall of Fame artist. My uncle was the well known painter, A.E. Backus, of Fort Pierce. Many days I spent watching my father paint so growing up an artist seemed natural to me. I was born and raised in South Florida. I lived a kid’s dream exploring back woods of Florida and Islands of the Bahamas. It was in these early years that I developed strong feelings for nature’s beauty and the deep desire to capture it through art.
After high school, I continued my education at Brevard College in North Carolina. Completing the two year program I jumped across the country to finish my education at the University of Hawaii. Later I returned to Stuart for a short stint before heading of to Maine to study yacht design. Once again Florida called me back where I found work in a variety of commercial art positions. Eventually I settled into a company which allowed the use both of my artistic and yacht design skills. Later I launched my painting career as a full time artist.
Each painting is unique in its approach. Several times a year, I set out in search of new material to paint. On these trips, I sketch and take many photos. Composition is very important to me. When developing the painting, I often pick and choose design elements to make a more dynamic artistic piece. On occasion, I just simply invent a scene based on composition alone.
When starting a painting, I first develop sketches using photos and drawings done in the field. Next, I sketch straight onto the canvas and lay in large areas of color. Since I only paint in oil, I need to allow at least a day for things to dry. My paintings are created with layers of color and detail. Most of the work is done with brush but, I like to finish off with palette knife highlights. On occasion, I will do a purely pallet knife painting. These are more expressionistic in style and less realistic. They are free and move at a more rapid pace. However, I need to be in the correct mood to capture these images. They can’t be forced or the painting doesn’t work.
Many of my clients think of my paintings as little mental vacation from the crazy world of today. I hope you can look at one of my paintings and feel the breeze as it moves the palm tree above or feel the sun on your skin as it sets over the river. …Kevin Hutchinson
Painting runs in my family. My father, James Hutchinson, is a nationally known and a Florida Artist Hall of Fame artist. My uncle was the well known painter, A.E. Backus, of Fort Pierce. Many days I spent watching my father paint so growing up an artist seemed natural to me. I was born and raised in South Florida. I lived a kid’s dream exploring back woods of Florida and Islands of the Bahamas. It was in these early years that I developed strong feelings for nature’s beauty and the deep desire to capture it through art.
After high school, I continued my education at Brevard College in North Carolina. Completing the two year program I jumped across the country to finish my education at the University of Hawaii. Later I returned to Stuart for a short stint before heading of to Maine to study yacht design. Once again Florida called me back where I found work in a variety of commercial art positions. Eventually I settled into a company which allowed the use both of my artistic and yacht design skills. Later I launched my painting career as a full time artist.
Each painting is unique in its approach. Several times a year, I set out in search of new material to paint. On these trips, I sketch and take many photos. Composition is very important to me. When developing the painting, I often pick and choose design elements to make a more dynamic artistic piece. On occasion, I just simply invent a scene based on composition alone.
When starting a painting, I first develop sketches using photos and drawings done in the field. Next, I sketch straight onto the canvas and lay in large areas of color. Since I only paint in oil, I need to allow at least a day for things to dry. My paintings are created with layers of color and detail. Most of the work is done with brush but, I like to finish off with palette knife highlights. On occasion, I will do a purely pallet knife painting. These are more expressionistic in style and less realistic. They are free and move at a more rapid pace. However, I need to be in the correct mood to capture these images. They can’t be forced or the painting doesn’t work.
Many of my clients think of my paintings as little mental vacation from the crazy world of today. I hope you can look at one of my paintings and feel the breeze as it moves the palm tree above or feel the sun on your skin as it sets over the river. …Kevin Hutchinson
