Witch Marks Drawing

Hello, I am Stephen Hunter. I am an artist living and working in Scotland. I am an experienced artist of international standing. I have had success in exhibiting my work across the world, in solo and group shows, and I have twice been accepted to the Jerwood Drawing Prize. I have represented the UK at the Lodz Triennale where I gained a commendation. I have found that the way I engage with my work and the time I have to focus on it has changed as my means of living have also changed. Early on in my career after graduating Art College I supported myself by doing a variety of manual jobs; cleaning toilets, machine operator, servicing cars. This gave me time to think during working hours and to pursue my artwork in evenings and mornings. At this point my work was often large scale 3-D work or intricately worked drawings. I then got a lecturing job at Edinburgh College of Art, this took time away from making my own work, especially when I was appointed to more bureaucratic, managerial roles. I found that I had little time to consider what I wanted to make, rather I focussed on supporting students to make their work. Although I gained satisfaction from this, I came to realise that my own work and indeed my own health were taking a back seat. I have recently left lecturing to concentrate on myself and am developing new work based on my experiences of everyday life. My body is instrumental in my work and in my interaction with the world. As an artist working at my desk stuck for ideas, I spent a lot of time staring at my hands – recently changed as arthritis had developed and worsened. I had to start somewhere so drew what I was looking at. Whilst I was making these drawings, I found my fingers wouldn’t work the way they used to do. I drew round my hands, then unsatisfied with the results, I smeared white poster paint over them - creating a grimy surface. I looked at the resulting images and considered what next? How next to use my changed hands? I thought about the changing dimensions of my fingers and the way I now found accuracy (something I had always valued having enjoyed making models since a young age) alluded me. Out of this process I have produced 3-D works using simple techniques from childhood - building balsa wood models, cages that fit round my fingers. Reflecting the fragility of everything I have created I burned them. They became delicate permanently changed objects that would no longer perform their original purpose.