Hunter Eddy (b.1967)

Passion Over Purity, oil on canvas, 35"x43"


Hunter Eddy was born in 1967 and grew up in Rutland Vermont. He decided to pursue a career in art after years of drawing in his childhood. He attended the Art Institute of Boston and graduated with the honor of an “Excellence in Illustration” award from the College. His work after graduation included Aesthetics Signage Company, as well as a freelance illustrator for private clients. He spent time in Italy studying landscape painting and drawing with the Boston Visual School under the direction of painters John Lanza and George Gabin. He also studied drawing and painting with Boston artist Tom Oulette where he developed his interests in traditional drawing techniques. He then made his decision to undertake fulltime study at The Florence Academy of Art under the direction of Daniel Graves.

After the first year he was made an assistant teacher in the program and has been with the academy ever since. He has taught the advanced painting and drawing courses, and is currently co-Director of the painting program. His work has been exhibited and sold at various galleries including: Peel Gallery, Rutland Vermont, Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, New York, Hirschl and Adler Gallery, New York, Century Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia, Gallery Americana, Carmel, California, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Gold Leaf Designs, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ann Long Fine Art, Charlestown, South Carolina, W. H. Patterson LTD, London, England.

“In painting my main goal is to create an impression of light and depth over and around the objects or people I choose to paint. I work only from life, never from photographs, and I never use artificial lighting. Drawing and painting from nature is the only way to study the effects of natural light on objects and people, and, for me, nature is a constant source of inspiration and challenge. I find there is always an emotional connection between my subjects and me. With still-life, the subtleties of the textures, the smell of the fresh fruit, the way the light changes on the objects revealing different colors at different times, all help me understand and capture what I feel to be the essence of my painting. With people, there is always an emotional energy or feeling they give off when posing, and I try to tune into this to bring out that person's nature, to bring my paintings to life, and to render the theme I have chosen."