Amelia Hunter

The Spellbinding Bungalow

Vintage inspired home portrait “The Hunter’s 1923 Bungalow”, watercolor and digital media, 2013

The mysterious spell of the bungalow is first cast by sounds of a gurgling water fountain which plays hostess and cheerfully splashes a greeting to the visitor who walks along a short pathway next to the tiny formal front garden. The pathway leads the visitor to a steep flight of stairs. Perched high above, at the top of the stairs, is the bungalow’s front door of polished dark wood.

Clomping up the stairs, the visitor knows she is about to enter the quaint, storybook home of talking animals. Some of them are dogs wearing polka-dotted headscarves and nurse’s caps. Others are beavers drinking ale after a long day of hard work gnawing trees.

“Martinez Beaver Brew: The Thirst-Quenching Choice of Busy Beavers Worldwide”, watercolor and digital media, 2013

Ringing the doorbell, the visitor senses the charm of the bungalow working its magic on her. The front door swings open and there stands the artist-in-residence, Amelia Hunter. The visitor’s first thought is, “This house suits Amelia.” But, by the end of the visit, her thought is, “Amelia suits this house!” Where does the influence of an artist on a house and a house on an artist begin and end? Amelia and her husband live in a 1923 Craftsman Bungalow in one of Martinez’s older residential neighborhoods.

Amelia’s graphic designs mirror the house’s distinctive architecture and quality in workmanship. Both have clean lines, balanced compositions and a refreshing feeling of restored vintage art that is enjoying renewed popular appeal. The intrinsic spirit of the bungalow and Amelia’s art are so similar there must be a strong interplay between the two when she sits down to work on one her designs.

Amelia Hunter

Amelia leads her visitor through the house to the back garden where a table and chairs are shaded by an enormous umbrella. Somewhere above in a tree, a wind chime dongs with long, deep reverberations. It sets a reverent tone over the whole bungalow and its surrounding gardens. Several more water fountains bubble in the sunny back yard like a chorus ensemble accompanying the distant voice of the water fountain that watches over the front garden. A red breasted bird hops along the ledge of a feeding station, cheeping.

Seated across from her guest at the table, Amelia tells the story of how she became an artist. Her best friend in kindergarten, Pamela Wong, discovered the joy of drawing intricate scenes of “little critters doing little things.” Amelia decided to copy her friend and began to draw little creatures, too. The same funny animals can be found in her greeting cards and pet portraits today, now on display in the Martinez Gallery.

“Temperature Time with Nurse Wags” get well card, watercolor and digital media, 2013. Inside it says “Hope your tail’s wagging soon!”

Working as a professional graphic designer for the past 18 years, her artistic style reflects this. She combines hand-painted watercolors with computer-generated typography to create vintage-inspired portraits. She draws inspiration from vintage fruit crate art.

Amelia Hunter became a member of the Martinez Gallery in May 2012. She is a Martinez resident.  The Martinez Gallery is located at 630 Court Street in downtown Martinez. To commission pet portraits visit www.ArtofAmelia.com or email: Amelia@ArtofAmelia.com.

By Jen Copeland

Photography by Aimee Kendall www.AimeeKendallPhotography.com