S T A N T O N   H U N T E R
W o r k  S t a t e m e n t

I am most interested in the gesture of the natural as it finds its way into interior man-made environments, as well as outdoors. This gesture, when pointed out, often exposes a sense of the supernatural.  I manipulate materials, but mostly in an exploratory, accidental way consistent with how primal forces would act upon materials.  Changes in scale are also intriguing to me and how that can create an immediate visceral connection with the work.

One "gesture" I often single out is the phenomenon of cracking.  It is a beautiful gesture, evoking rivers/faults viewed from 30,000 feet, lightening streaks, the paths of tree limb growth.  The old Japanese Raku potters would often take a cracked vessel and stuff the crack with gold leaf, making the work more precious than if it had been perfect.  I find cracks in cement even more intriguing than those found in earth/clay because earth is supposed to crack, that’s part of it’s nature.  Cement is a manmade attempt at permanence, and these cracks take on a much deeper vulnerability to me.  So I clean them out and mark them with bright colored sands, paints and metals.  More recent work has explored the inner private spaces and textures of the crack itself by totally breaking open the material and exposing the fissure.

Often I enjoy installing work subtly, where the gallery remains a gallery, the hallway a hallway, the field a field, but suggests perhaps a different time or place. Some of these works require the viewer to discover them, so they are actually taking part in the creative process.