Local artist displays awesome art. Where? You'll have to find out for yourself.
Chevas D. SamuelsIssue date: 11/12/09 Section: News
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"Every few weeks," Hunt said, "I make a painting and hide it some place I think might be interesting. I post clues on my website for people to study and go out and find it."
This time, Hunt says he's hidden an entire art show's worth of work, "ORDO NXOEED," and anyone who tracks it down can lay claim to any of his pieces. Hunt spoke to College Times about the project.
College Times: What inspired you to hide your art?
James B. Hunt: The idea came to me while I was searching for gemstones and fossils in the desert. I wanted to apply the feeling I got from treasure hunting to my art. I never expected anybody to go looking for it. The first one I hid just outside of Payson, and to my knowledge it's still there. I've been doing it ever since.
What types of materials do you use in your work?
Usually just plain old acrylic paint. I like painting on found materials, slabs of wood or old bicycle seats. I rarely ever purchase a surface to paint on. I like to use whatever is available to me in that moment.
Who's your favorite artist? Why?
I was probably most influenced by Ivan Albright and Austin Osman Spare. Albright for his use of color and attention to detail, and Spare for the role that automatic drawing has played in my work.
Where's the craziest place you've ever done your hidden art?
I hid three paintings in a bathroom stall that I'm pretty certain nobody's visited in months, if not years. There were three screws sticking out of the walls, and I thought it would be the perfect spot to hang paintings. I would have hung more of them had there been any more screws sticking out. I didn't want to deface property though, so I left it at three.
What do you want viewers to see? Feel?
I guess the thing I like most about hiding art is that all pretense is removed, and the viewer develops a relationship to the piece that I don't necessarily have because I'm not out there looking for it. The person who finds it determines the value of the work, which I guess is the way it should be.
What's in the future for hidden art?
The next big hide will come Friday,
November 6 at the Firehouse in Downtown Phoenix. I'll be showing new paintings, which will hold clues that lead the viewer to a hidden gallery somewhere within the city limits. I call this gallery "ORDO NXOEED." Anybody who happens to find ORDO NXOEED is welcome to keep all paintings hidden there.
e-mail contact@jamesbhunt.com for more information
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