Meet Artist Hunter J. Smith

February 2023—“As an acrylic painter, I credit my outlook largely to the 1940 film “Fantasia,” which I first saw at the age of six.

The fantastical world on that screen impacted me.  I was more interested in the settings for the characters in the film instead of the characters themselves.  I wanted to live in the depths of that mysterious, magical world. 

To this day, that is what I capture on canvas.  The mystery and the exotic qualities of my work make it identifiable, with saturated hues.  You’ll see closeup views of botanic life, but water and its refracted light seize my imagination as well. Even aquatic life, like jellyfish, lion fish and koi take center stage.

That childhood experience in the movie theatre continues to fascinate me to this day, and is one of the reasons my colors are so intense, vibrant and saturated. The enchanted landscapes of Disney are subtle in my paintings, and may not be immediately noticeable…but is where the inspiration was born.”

To view more of Hunter’s work, please visit Art Uptown gallery in downtown Sarasota.