Allison Jones Hunt
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Allison Jones Hunt is an abstract painter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Message
Allison Jones Hunt is a Jewish abstract painter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Her vibrant work delves into the intricate relationship between color, time, and memory. In 2023, Allison was honored as a recipient of Harwood Art Center's Emerging Artists of New Mexico award. A graduate of Reed College in Portland, Oregon, her work has been exhibited throughout the Southwest and Pacific Northwest, and she is an active member of the Temple Shalom Jewish community in Colorado Springs.
In both her art and her life, Allison is committed to fostering inclusivity and accessibility in the art world. Living with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and congenital hip dysplasia, Allison's creative practice is an embodied act of somatic processing and healing. Her dynamic disability has fueled her exploration of innovative techniques and adaptive approaches. Through her art, Allison demonstrates that creativity can transcend physical limitations and serve as a powerful tool for self-expression and resilience. Her work and creative process serve as powerful examples that art can meet us where we are, both physically and emotionally, if we are willing to explore new methods of creation, new visual concepts, and innovative ways of sharing our gifts.
Inspired by the personal and collective experiences of resilience and renewal found within Judaism, Allison's latest series, "The Season of Singing Has Come," draws from the rich imagery and symbolism of the Song of Songs, a text traditionally read during the Jewish holiday of Passover, a time of seasonal change, remembrance, and hope. Through a meditative process of layering warm and cool tones, Allison creates visual metaphors for the passage of time and the sedimentary nature of memory. Her brushstrokes, rhythmic and evocative, echo the ebb and flow of natural phenomena and the seasons of our lives.
Statement
“The Season of Singing Has Come” is a series of new paintings exploring the intricate relationship between color and the sedimentary nature of memory.
Intrigued by the intimate relationships we form with color throughout our lives, I developed a painting process of repeatedly inverting warm and cool tones. Working with a select palette of colors that form my personal color wheel, I transform greens into pinks and reds, blues into deep magentas, teals into warm oranges, and back again in a meditative process, layering paint on canvas dozens of times.
I utilize tape to strategically mask and reveal sections of previous layers throughout the collection, emphasizing the contrast between washes of warm and cool. The depth created by this interplay evokes natural imagery, from blossoming flowers and vibrant fall foliage to tranquil lily ponds and fiery sunsets. The rhythmic patterns of brushstrokes become a recurring motif, recalling the cyclical nature of time and the seasons.
By deliberately reiterating the same composition, capturing the dance between warm and cool hues, earlier layers inevitably reverberate. The paintings contain a visual echo, much like layers of memory shape our lives, and the repetition of collective stories shape our rituals. Hidden layers of paint inform the final image, just as our past experiences (though obscured by the present) continue to influence who we are, adding depth and complexity to our personal narratives and shared identity.
The collection title, "The Season of Singing Has Come,” as well as the titles of each painting in the collection, comes from the Jewish biblical text Shir HaShirim, known in English as the Song of Songs. The poetry in Song of Songs layers natural imagery and erotic conversation to create a lasting celebration of intimate love, and serves as an allegory of the love between the human and the divine. In the collection’s paintings, the warm and cool colors are twinned voices, in dialogue much like the Song of Song’s two lovers. Shir HaShirim is a text traditionally read by Jews around the world during the holiday of Pesach (Passover), a time of seasonal change, remembrance of collective trauma and perseverance, and a recommitment to the hope for a better future.
Through the depths of color and its powerful connection to memory, I aim to resonate with each viewer's own personal journey, inviting contemplation and reflection on the passage of time, the enduring impact of our past experiences – both personal and collective – and the potential for renewal and hope.