Meet the Artist

"Well, to other kids, probably a bit bizarre. 

As a young child, traditional toys really never interested me. 

Cars, action figures, or most things plastic, were sort of — unappealing; they were too specific to provide what I hoped to explore with my imagination. I actively sought out items more conducive to open-ended play. I loved measuring cups, my sister's hair ties, my mother's scarves, yarn, sticks, or basically anything found in the deep dark recesses of drawers. Deflated Mylar balloons were one of my favorites. 

I was a fun child!  

I would launch sand-filled silk lizards off our stairwell in custom-made cotton parachutes. Fabrics in flight always held appeal and the promise of something mysterious and unexpected. Thinking back, I played a LOT with fabric. It seems our passions stay with us!

I grew up in the California foothills, where the outdoors was also my other source of inspiration. Left to my own devices, my parents would always return home to a state of wondrous…pandemonium. I believe my parents could see that I was an artistic soul at a very early age. They were great at fostering my interests, and I appreciate that. They encouraged me, praised me, and gave me opportunities to further develop (although I am still harboring some disappointment from my 11th Christmas when I didn't get the spinning wheel I wanted!).

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"Yes, absolutely. And thank you for that question. 

As a Russian Literature student, I was fascinated by Sergei Diaghilev. He was a famous patron of the arts in the late 1800s who saw his career overlap and intersect between the art world, music, the theater, and later ballet, where he would be known for creating the incredible Ballet Russe. He was a masterful promoter of Russian culture through music, dance, and art exhibitions. It seemed that one passion would bleed into the next, placing him in the unique position to build upon and create something that only someone with his versatile background could — that only HE could. He was a genius. 

As I look back at the trajectory of my artistic passions, I would love to imagine that my foray into theater, music, and dance has placed me in a unique position to create and design innovative art and truly original contributions to fashion. I also would love to imagine that my journey has paralleled his - in the most humble of ways, of course!" I think the people who know me as a designer would be surprised to learn of my musical and dance career — and visa-versa, but I believe this melding of passions IS the Hunter Christian label."

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"I guess these years could be considered my 'audible art' days.

As early as I can remember, I was practicing music. Rehearsal was never a chore to me. I never had to be forced to practice; I loved getting lost in the sounds, feelings, and thoughts when I was making music. 

Classical music was the perfect fit for me. The formality and culture that accompanied it made me feel at home and transported me to a time and place I loved. I think my reading, interpreting, and music-playing skills developed simultaneously, allowing me to progress quickly and grow by choosing the next more challenging piece of music. I literally would lock myself away for hours a day playing music. I found I had an innate understanding of all instruments. I played the trumpet and viola in orchestral settings, but I had this strange obsession and fondness for the block flute.

As I fell deeper in love with classical music, I was intrigued and inspired by the styles of famous composers. Franz, Joseph Hydn, and Georg Philipp Telemann were some of my favorites. The timing and pattern of the notes intrigued me. I believe these were the first traces of patterns and systems that influenced my young textile and patternmaking self.  

As I became more proficient at reading music, my eyes would gauge several measures ahead, predicting intervals, timing, and key signatures of the notes depending on which composer I was playing. At the same time, my fingers automatically knew what to do; they were quick and reliable like a typist. It was terrific! 

I sometimes felt my fingers move so fast that I had an out-of-body moment. I feel this dexterity even today in how I use my fingers. My breath control reached a point where I had command over the sound quality I wanted to produce. When proficiency met passion — there was my audible art.

The more music I played and performed, the more I fell in love with the complicated and haunting harmonic combinations of Baroque and the Gregorian Chants. Constant evolving harmonies vibrate in different frequencies to develop a progressive and ever-changing sound. The dissonance was my favorite. It always led to the incredible transformation as its chords resolved from minor to major. There was also something special about this type of music because not everyone "got" it. Most musicians, music teachers, and connoisseurs liked the classical and well-known pieces, but the baroque felt new and fresh. I liked being a part of something that felt unique and exclusive. I mention this because I feel this music's creative, historical, and classical artifacts embedded in my design work.

 I had seriously considered attending Indiana University's renowned Early Music Program at this point in my education. I had even been actively working with some local music professors on audition pieces. 

Oh, also, before that, I was heavily involved in the Musical Theater community. I think I played every role available to a male child lead. It was a lot of fun. I felt so comfortable on stage that some nights I actually fell asleep during the long scenes! It was a lot of fun. But, in the end, it was dance that had the strongest pull."

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"Oh, for a dancer, I was old - about sixteen. But I took it up with the same intensity I did with my music, in fact — more so. I was totally obsessed and felt like I had to make up for lost time. I absolutely loved it and found it came naturally to me. I received multiple training scholarships in ballet and performed with regional ballet companies. Still, my main focus was/is International Latin Ballroom where I have performed and competed professionally, both nationally and internationally, and now work as a professional coach."

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You mentioned that dance had a strong pull on you? What aspects of dance captured your interest?

"Well, of course, dance fed my love of music, both classically and culturally. The beauty, strength, and athleticism required for a strong technical foundation also appealed to me. But, I believe the reason dance completely captured me was the realization that the art — the creative practice — could be applied 'on' me directly as the object. I was now the medium. It was another iteration of my desire to create and express. 

Dance is exciting because it is a 3-dimension, living art form. A blooming flower can be photographed or videoed, but its true magic and beauty can only be experienced in real time. The performing arts offer an experience to both the viewer and participant that edifies and connects us to our human existence. The beauty and mystery of how the human body moves through space in different shapes, forms and qualities while relating to an emotional expression transcend gender, race, age, and societal status.  

Dance is storytelling, emotional, and vulnerable — and isn't that also the definition of art? This is where my passions and education intersect. A dancer can learn all the technique in the world, but if they don't or can't pull out the passion in their soul, they simply represent a set of skills with uninteresting content. Conversely, a passionate and captivating performer is also unsuccessful without proper technique or training to carry out their work. This concept instilled a strong belief in the importance of embracing my passion and then working extremely hard to hone my craft. This is my approach to my design work as well.

Another exciting aspect of dance and how it impacts Hunter Christian Design is the keen understanding of how human anatomy and the laws of physics work together to create beautiful and mesmerizing movement and lines. Our bodies are engineered to move through a frontal, sagittal, or transverse planes utilizing extension, flexion, abduction, rotation, depression, elevation, etc. As these movements are explored and combined with different qualities such as heavy, light, bound, release, rhythmic and dynamic, the performance reaches new heights. I instinctively incorporate these insights when choosing a weight or hand of fabric or considering the line a purse's strap creates across the body." 

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"I think at some point in time, I realized I had achieved my dance goals. I knew if I chose to pursue dance full time, I could reach the level of professionalism or elite performance that I had envisioned. Yet, I also knew that I would have set aside my designer or art ambitions, which were still at the heart of who I am and what I love. Knowing that I had achieved that level of professionalism in dance was enough to allow me to happily expand beyond it. Dance has been therapeutic and life-changing for me, and I love being able to pass those insights on to my students. Every professional dancer looks with apprehension to the end of a dance career and toward what might be the next chapter in their lives. I was determined to do it differently — almost backwards. I created the new chapter before the last one was finished."

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"Yes, it did. I moved from Scottsdale, Arizona, to San Francisco and enrolled in the Academy of Art University. I double-majored in Knitwear and Applied Textiles and also studied design. I had some wonderful mentors and worked along aside some very talented students. I was able to refine techniques and hone my skills in fashion and design. Still, I mainly credit the school for exposing me to the wonderful world of textiles and helping me to rediscover that fascination I possessed as a child. I also received enthusiastic encouragement for my work from the directors and other professors/industry professionals, which served as a catalyst in developing the Hunter Christian brand. My years at the Academy of Art University changed the trajectory of my life, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome!"

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"Oh, that is definitely in the future! I think I learned to finger knit before I could hold a fork! So, that would be taking things full circle for sure!"

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"2021 was the year I decided I wanted to fully satisfy my creative pursuits. I opened my own store to launch my art and the Hunter Christian label, where I want to share my artistic perspective with the world. I am excited to bring pieces that are precious, original, bold, and sophisticated. I hope each work of art identifies the creative and magical child from within and invites imagination and creativity into everyone's life that I can touch.

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