Special Guest Lynn Hutcheson
From Photographs to Portraits
Upcoming Camera Club Speaker Paints from Photos
Some of us are photographers, some of us are painters. Lynn Hutcheson is both.
Hutcheson, a talented painter, uses photography to help her create portraits on canvas.
"I'm not a professional painter," she says. "But my passion is painting."
Hutcheson lives out her passion on a daily basis in Nashville as an art teacher for grades K-4. She paints portraits on the side.
From Photographs to Portraits
Upcoming Camera Club Speaker Paints from Photos
Some of us are photographers, some of us are painters. Lynn Hutcheson is both.
Hutcheson, a talented painter, uses photography to help her create portraits on canvas.
"I'm not a professional painter," she says. "But my passion is painting."
Hutcheson lives out her passion on a daily basis in Nashville as an art teacher for grades K-4. She paints portraits on the side.
Not too long ago people had to sit for hours to have a portrait done. For many, sitting for a painter has become impractical. Enter Hutcheson and her camera.
"I love painting live, but most people don't have the time to sit for a painting," Hutcheson explains. "It's the practicality of it."
Growing up in Kansas, Hutcheson has always loved painting. Wanting to express her creativity she took art classes in high school "because I wasn't a very good writer and painting was more enjoyable." She went on to major in art in college. Art, she says, "is one of those things I kind of get lost in."
She has always enjoyed painting portraits of people. "I find people easier to paint than landscapes. I find it hard to simplify landscapes; there is just so much going on. Besides, I'm more comfortable with people." she says.
With the advent of digital photography, Hutcheson finds it a bit easier to use photos in her creative process.
That process is unique. "I spend an hour or two with the person. I take photos from 
different angles, do some initial sketches, and pull them together. Digital photography allows me to take more pictures to use." Spending the time allows her to get to know the person and the photos help her bring out the personality in the painting. Sometimes she is already familiar with the person; sometimes she spends a little extra time getting to know them.
Then the work really begins. Hutcheson allows she spends, on average, 30 hours on one painting. It's a time consuming process, but not for the subject.
While the painting is the ultimate goal, Hutcheson is happy for the help of her camera. "Most of the people I know would rather paint from life but use photography as a tool," she says.
Hutcheson will be the guest speaker at an upcoming Cookeville Camera Club meeting. She plans to bring examples of her work and talk about how she composes her paintings. "I want to talk about how I approach composition. In the past 20 years that process has changed."
You can attend Hutcheson's presentation and meet the artist at the Cookeville Camera Club's regular meeting on February 22 at 7 pm at the First Presbyterian Church just off the square in Cookeville. The public is invited to attend; there will be an opportunity for questions following the presentation. For more information visit the Cookeville Camera Club's website at www.cookevillecameraclub.com.
© Copyright Cookeville Camera Club 2006-2009.
