Conversations with Peyton Hunt

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peyton Hunt.

Peyton, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
Did you ever play those games on long road trips where you looked out the window into a deep forest and daydreamed of what crazy creatures might lurk just behind the trees? Or stand at the mouth of a cave and imagine what mysteries lie deep within the darkness? Well, I did. And I still do. 

I grew up as a homeschooled military brat who lived in 6 different states, overseas twice and went on cross-country road trips for history and geography class. National parks and museums were my second homes and the perfect environments to give my young, creative brain new ideas for stories. My family traveled from coast to coast, exploring the wide range of landscapes and history that fills America. And, with a lot of downtime between destinations, I wrote tales and histories of my own. New creatures and their lore, unknown people and their stories, and landscapes a little more magical than the ones I stared at through the car window. 

This story-telling bug stuck with me years after our road trips slowed down and my father retired. Now that we were in a stationary place, I took to writing and drawing the things I had created in my head. Short stories, half-written novels, and sketchbooks filled to the brim with new ideas. All of these creations contained some kind of mystery or horror thanks to the love for Halloween that was passed down to me from my family. And I quickly came to realize that this was something I could turn into a career. After long hours of studying different art colleges and programs specializing in Concept Design or Visual Development, I found myself at Columbus College of Art and Design. 

I found my style, my niche, and my people. I began to make those spooky things that give people the chills and write those mysteries that make people invested. I stayed true to that little kid staring out the car windows, daydreaming of the unknown. And now, sitting with my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on Illustration, I feel like my own story is about to be written. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been a few minor bumps in the road. Most of these showed up around the beginning of my college career. Explaining to family members that you are about to spend four years studying to be an Illustrator doesn’t always go so well. To a lot of people, art school just sounds like money going down the drain. But I am very lucky to have extremely supportive parents who never doubted my dream for a second. 

Once I actually got to college and started creating and studying, another small bump arose. If you just take a quick peak at some of my work, you’ll probably notice that it isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea.” I’ve received comments on my work on how I should “Just make something that everyone will like” or, “Why do you have to make stuff so… disturbing?” While selling at art fairs, I get the occasional disapproving look, parents redirecting their kids, or the rare person saying how they’d never buy something like “that.” But finding my niche and my people have made all of the uncomfortable situations worth it. 

I would say I am very lucky and privileged to have had such minor bumps in my career so far. And I am very thankful for the people that helped me pave the smooth road that I’m walking on today. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I like to split my work up between my Illustrations and World Building. 

For my Illustrations, I would describe their designs as “Beautifully macabre.” I want to carry horror/thriller elements throughout my pieces that border the line between digestible and disturbing. I want my art to make someone feel something, whether that’s fear or awe. Any emotion will do. As for mediums, I specialize in digital, traditional ink, and printmaking/ceramics. I find that the use of the traditional mediums (ink, printmaking, and ceramic) helps to convey raw emotions in the piece, especially when dealing with the subjects I use. But digital art carries the convenience of mobility and the wonderful “undo” button that the unforgiving traditional art world does not. 

As for my World Building, or Visual Development, I work heavily in the realm of mystery and sci-fi. Conceptual Art is my true passion and what I hope to make my full-time career in the future. I want to create immersive worlds that swallow up the reader, viewer, or player as they explore the expanse of this new world. I do this by writing in-depth stories and creating concept art to give an illustrative depiction of said stories. My spreadsheets and word documents for these stories would probably send people into shock. 

What I am most proud of is my Thesis I made while studying at CCAD. Over the span of 4 months, I created a Pitch Bible/Art book following the story I had been developing titled Unauthorized. The book reached 48 pages contained over 30 separate illustrations, a synopsis and outline of the story, and written portions (both in English and a language/cipher I wrote) explaining the art and storyline. My current project is turning this story into a pixel art Adventure/RPG video game. I will be sharing both my thesis and updates on the video game on my Patreon in a few months. 

I believe that my stories and narratives behind each of my pieces, both illustrative and written, are what set me apart from other artists/creatives. I strive to create something no one has seen before and make people question the unknown. I want people to second guess what they’ve seen and become more curious about the world we live in. My goal is to bring those “What if?” questions to life and add extra mystery to the already mysterious. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Is it too cheesy to say that life makes me happy? I have been so blessed to experience what I have in my life so far. The wonders of over 250 National Parks, the natural wonders of the world, the sweet, kind people in small towns, the smell of leaves in Autumn. I am in a constant state of awe and wonder with the big and small that life has to offer. And it is all thanks to my family and the life they were able to give me. They helped me to appreciate what I have and what could be. When you meet so many amazing people from around the world, eat great food, and listen to good music, it’s really hard to not be happy. 

All of those things make me extremely appreciative of the life that I’ve built for myself during my time at CCAD and post-graduation. I have a wonderful group of artists I’m lucky to call my friends, a city whose skyline always puts a smile on my face, and a wonderful partner and two cats to come home to every day. 

So yeah, life makes me pretty happy. 

Contact Info:

• Website: brokenjaww.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/broken_jaww/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peyton-hunt-523b90228/