By Staff
BRIGHT AND BOLD – Local artist Greg Cartmell encouraged Peyton Hutchinson to paint "girly" themes. Photo by Carisa McCain/The Meridian Star
By Elizabeth Hall / special to The Star
Oct. 6, 2002
Peyton Long Hutchinson likes painting shoes almost as much as she likes wearing them. Her bright canvases of polka-dot stilettos and "retro" clogs were big hits with her bridesmaids.
But, it has. On Oct. 10, the Cartmell Gallery will feature Hutchinson's work as part of the annual Downtown Gallery Walk.
The theme of her show is "What Women Want." In addition to shoes, there will be colorful depictions of purses, hats and other "girly" accessories. Hutchinson collaborated with local artist Greg Cartmell on the theme.
A change of pace
For Hutchinson, known for her still lifes and portraits, the show is a deliberate deviation from the usual.
The 24-year-old artist got her start at Lamar Middle School, where sixth-grade art teacher Sylvia Follis recognized her talent and suggested private lessons.
The following year, Hutchinson began lessons with Carolyn Causey and continued to paint in junior high and high school.
At Ole Miss, she declared an art major and attributes much of her inspiration to one of her teachers, Jerry Allen. During college, she spent a summer in Provence, France, as part of an art-based study-abroad program.
The class spent time in the famed sunflower fields of Vincent Van Gogh, often bringing along prints of his work and studying his techniques.
Hutchinson also spent one summer at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she concentrated on figure-drawing, acquiring many of the skills she now uses for her portraits.
I needed to be home'
As the time neared for Hutchinson's senior thesis, her father was diagnosed with colon cancer. Wanting to be near her family, the show was moved from Oxford to the Meridian Museum of Art.
Since graduating from Ole Miss, Hutchinson devotes as much time as possible to her art. She works in a studio apartment in Oxford, often spending the better part of the day painting.