(From left) Tequila Sunrise; Large Eden; Double Gourd. Joel Hunnicutt, artist
By Natasha Anderson
Approximately twenty years ago, woodturning artist Joel Hunnicutt signed up for a furniture making class at a community college. Though he initially wanted to learn how to make a few tables for his 100-year-old home, it wasn’t long before his interest changed. As soon as he turned the pedestal for the table he was creating, he was hooked—not on furniture making, but on using the lathe. “I instinctively knew what to do,” he says. “It felt right.”
Though Hunnicutt had an understanding of the medium and how to manipulate it, he describes his first efforts as “pretty awful.” His uncle, who was an accomplished woodworker, mentored him in his early years of learning the craft.
Teardrops. Joel Hunnicutt, artist
After earning a degree in business management at the University of South Carolina, Hunnicutt worked as an apparel buyer, merchandise manager and, finally, a store manager for Belk department store. Then he left that career and bought a small-town insurance agency to allow more time with his family. Finally, he became a full-time woodworker and has done woodworking exclusively for almost 20 years.
“I absolutely came into my craft by the back door,” says Hunnicutt. “But upon reflection, the time spent in apparel was great preparation for what I currently do. Form and color are constant themes in apparel as well as art.”
Over the years, Hunnicutt realized that he wanted to combine his love of wood with the luminosity of glass and the forms of ancient pottery. This led him to segmented wood turning, or cutting many small segments of wood, assembling the pieces into a rough form and then turning that form to the final shape. Through an additive process, he reinterprets the forms and couples them with 21st-century surface treatments.
“Joel’s use of ancient and classical forms interpreted in a contemporary fashion translates timelessness in a way that makes his work endlessly valuable and relevant,” says Art on 7th co-owner Julie Wilmot.
Though Hunnicutt was initially drawn to the classic Greek, Roman and Egyptian forms, his interests have transitioned more recently toward oriental shapes. His inspiration comes from other directions as well, including architectural details.
Large Maple. Joel Hunnicutt, artist
“There is a natural gas building in Milwaukee that I saw once when visiting,” he says. “At the very top is a stylized flame that just reached out to me. I have used ideas from that sculpture several times and have more ideas yet to be built.”
To achieve the vibrant colors reminiscent of those seen in blown glass while still allowing the wood grain to show through, Hunnicutt developed a technique using automotive paint. He then moved away from combining different species of wood and began using primarily maple, due to the depth it gives his work.
“Joel is superior in his ability to seamlessly transition and graduate colors on the complex wood pieces he creates,” says Wilmot. “He pays meticulous attention to exacting details and fitting the wood segments together with perfection.”
Hunnicutt lives and works near Hendersonville. His pieces are displayed in public and private collections throughout the US and abroad. They are available for purchase at Ariel Craft Gallery in Asheville and Art on 7th in Hendersonville.
To learn more, visit ArielCraftGallery.com, Arton7th.com or JoelHunnicutt.com.
