Peyton Hutchinson paints natural landscapes as she sees them
TUPELO — Peyton Hutchinson paints natural landscapes not as they appear, but as she sees them — with the eye of an impressionist.
The name for her new collection, "Beside Still Waters," is a reference to Psalm 23. It comprises 25 pieces painted over the span of a couple of months and features paintings that depict water.
"In the South, we love to be outdoors near water because it's so hot here," Hutchinson said. "That's where the idea came to paint a lot of lake scenes like Pickwick Lake and Florida marshes."
Dozens of attendees gathered for an art and wine dinner at the Caron Gallery in downtown Tupelo on Thursday night. Hutchinson shared information about her career and the collection before offering guests an inside look at her creative process as she added detail to a lake scene painting during a live demonstration.
Pieces from the "Beside Still Waters" collection were sold during the event, and remaining paintings will be available on thecarongallery.com beginning Monday, June 10.
Turning art into a career
Hutchinson, 46, grew up in Meridian and now lives with her husband, Burney Hutchinson, and three children in Madison.
As a child, in Meridian, she lived just down the street from her art teacher, Carolyn Causey, whom she would visit for lessons once a week as early as 12 years old.
The pair started with drawing and pastels before Hutchinson tried oil painting as a high school student.
"Once I started painting with oil, I couldn't stop," Hutchinson said.
As a freshman at the University of Mississippi, she was unsure what she wanted to major in. After taking a couple of art classes and seeing that being a full-time artist was a possibility, she made painting her major and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting.
Hutchinson started out selling her work at festivals like the GumTree Art & Wine Festival in Tupelo, the Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford and more across the southeastern U.S. Selling paintings on the festival circuit continued for several years as she continued to produce new artwork.
She starts by sketching the base image for the painting with a brush and adds dark colors first before pulling in light. She then adds color, also using texture to add detail.
"When the sun sets, it looks flat," Hutchinson said. "But in my mind, I see it 3D and then, through years of drawing and painting, I know how to make it look 3D on my canvas."
Hutchinson starts with only a few colors on her palette, mixing them to create the precise colors she wants to use. For instance, she never buys tubes of green paint. She always mixes her own.
These days, Hutchinson primarily sells her art online — either through her website or the Caron Gallery.
"Social media has been wonderful for myself as an artist, and I think for tons of artists, just because you're able to sell online and not even necessarily be in a gallery," Hutchinson said. "But the thing about being in a gallery, and especially the Caron Gallery, is that (Kim Caron) has done such a remarkable job of getting my work, and all of the artists there, throughout the whole United States."
Finding inspiration in nature and faith
Whether she's painting from photographs or painting directly from her surroundings outdoors, Hutchinson has always focused on landscapes, particularly Southern landscapes.
Her style was influenced by the works of Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, and as a college student, she constantly wondered what she would paint day to day.
She now finds inspiration every time she takes her dogs for a walk or goes for a drive around her home state. She often pulls over while driving to take photos for the basis of paintings, especially late in the day when the sun is setting.
"Our landscape in Mississippi is beautiful," Hutchinson said. "I think a lot of times we take it for granted. I just love how green everything is here, and then we've got the pretty lakes and our pine trees."
Looking back on her career so far, Hutchinson has realized what a God-given gift it is — from the drive to pursue art and the ability to create it to the perseverance to keep going even when it was difficult.
Referencing Colossians 3:23, which reads, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward," Hutchinson said she always seeks to glorify God through her work.
Along the way, her parents and teachers encouraged her to keep going, and Hutchinson said she's thankful to have found her meaning and purpose through art.