Thursday, April 18, 2019

Ryan Hunter: The Cream Dream


By Isabella Weston

Ryan Hunter, a senior and native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, came to Trinity University seeking a business degree, and fell in love with art instead.

It all happened during a spring break trip to Croatia and Budapest during his junior year. He was so inspired by the street art that he couldn’t help creating some of his own. 

The piece of art he created, dubbed “The Cream Dream,” depicts a waffle cone filled with a bouquet of colorful flowers, some of which are “melting” like ice cream.

One thing led to another. He created more and more art work, all with this “creamy” style of “The Cream Dream,” which involves putting an unique and eye catching spin on otherwise mundane subjects, similar to putting the ice cream spin on the flowers.

“The Cream Dream” thus became his “first major piece where I showed expression and it put me on the map for cool illustrations and designs.” By now, he has established a reputation as a novelty designer and has been contracted to create graphics for several NBA basketball players’ personal brands, as well as Lululemon and the 2020 Olympics.

In a way, Hunter’s success as an artist so far is a long time in the making. He had been interested in the arts from a young age, taking classes in pottery and painting during middle school and high school. With time and experimentation, he found himself drawn most strongly to drawing and painting.

Once he entered college, he began drawing as a way to de-stress at the end of a busy day. He “started drawing more seriously after freshman year of college,” Hunter says. "Often several hours of homework, and would start off a chunk of study time by doodling for 20 minutes or so just to relax and ease mind before studying.”

Like a typical college student, he has to fit his passion around his busy schedule with classes and soccer. Because of this, Hunter often draws when he has free time “in coffee shops or on the move.” He finds that he prefers to be “surrounded by energy from people or movement because it helps focus and be inspired.”

When he comes up with ideas for art, he couldn’t go back to study, but will go with “an overflow of creative energy,” he says. Before he knew it, he was dedicating a major part of his day to doodling. He says that when he draws, he feels that he is able to express himself and add some fun into everyone’s life around him.

When he isn’t consulting with graphic design clients, he could be busy designing custom made stickers, which have appeared on some Trinity students' water bottles or computer cases. He also uses Instagram to build his business and share his aesthetic with close to 1,000 followers.

“I think Ryan is a really interesting person,” says sophomore Lindsay Peng. “He’s actually doing something with his talent which is why I think all of his stuff, like the stickers, are so cool. The designs are just very interesting and it’s not like something you would find anywhere.”

After college, Hunter intends to continue his art career, using his current graphic design clients as a base. However, he one day hopes to spend more time on “fine arts,” rather than client-focused pieces. He has a desire to “push the limits” of art and create pieces similar to artwork of Kaws, Shepard Fairey, and Banksy, all of whom have similar, street-inspired styles.

No comments:

Post a Comment