Shown in the Foster Gallery from November 1 through December 13, Charlie Hunter’s Scrapyard Lullabies portrays the decaying infrastructure of Bellows Falls, Vermont and the towns Hunter passes through when traveling by railroad.
In dripping paint and muted colors, Hunter’s work depicts old homes, cars, depots and tracks. Ghosts of the past inspire his work. He writes, “You never see them straight on, but you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye as the sun is setting, or hear their voices in the metal-on-metal as a freight train rolls by.” He invites visitors to think of his show as a “suite of songs” to the past.
On November 15, Hunter spoke to classes in the gallery. David Roane’s Painting II students learned about using a squeegee to get sharp angles on large paintings and the many benefits of having a studio in an old paper mill. Hunter told them, “Squint at reality; don’t squint at your paintings. Squint at reality to get a sense of the bigger shapes.”
More about Charlie Hunter and his artwork is available at hunter-studio.com.
