Rediscovering the Art of Victoria Hutson Huntley
During the 1930s and 1940s, Victoria Hutson Huntley (1900 – 1971) was a well-known printmaker. She mainly created two types of prints: lithographs and intaglio (in-TAL-ee-oh). Both are types of relief printing. In this type of printmaking, the artist uses sharp tools or chemicals to carve an image into a flat surface, called a plate. Then ink is applied to the plate and the image is transferred onto paper, like a stamp.
The online exhibition of Victoria Hutson Huntley’s prints shows three things she was interested in: landscapes, people and the natural world. Look through the exhibition. Which interest do you think each print represents? Do some represent more than one?
Close Looking
Victoria Hutson Huntley loved to create works of art inspired by nature. Many of her prints show the weather or certain times of the day.
Look closely at her print “Dawn Came.” What time of day do you think she captured? Why? What animals do you see in the print? Would you like to visit the place she shows?
Other prints of landscapes in the exhibition show different seasons and environments. Find the dramatic print “Tropical Storm.” What do you think the weather would feel like in that scene? Why?
“Wild Critter” Mask
In 1946, Huntley and her husband moved to the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. At first, Huntley did not like the warm and humid climate. But she decided to make the most of her situation. She investigated the plants and animals that lived there by making works of art that show them.
Now it is your turn to investigate your surroundings and create a work of art! Try to imagine what wild critters live in the places you find. Does a yellow lion live under your bed? Would a pink raccoon like to live in your backyard? For this art activity you can order a free Family Day art kit from Athens’ KA Artist Shop or use materials from home.
For this project, you will need:
- A paper plate (cut the plate in half, cut out eyeholes and glue on a stick as a handle)
- Colored paper
- Glue
- Sheet of foam or piece of Styrofoam
- Small wooden block or wine cork
- Scissors
- Paint
- Cookie sheet or plate
To make your mask:
- Imagine what your wild critter looks like and where it lives in or around your house.
- Using scissors, cut the eyeholes into the right shape.
- Cut colored paper into shapes. Glue the different colors and shapes onto your mask to form ears, antlers, fur, feathers, scales, or whatever else your wild critter needs.
- Imagine the patterns on your wild critter. Tigers have stripes. Ladybugs have spots. What does your critter have? Cut that shape out of foam and glue it to your block or cork to make a stamp.
- Pour a thin layer of paint onto a cookie sheet or a plastic plate.
- Press your stamp into the paint and then stamp your mask. Repeat this step until your critter’s pattern looks right to you.
Family Day art kits are sponsored by Heyward Allen Motor Co., Inc., Heyward Allen Toyota and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.
Download a printable PDF of this activity
