About

Daughter of Hobby Cartoonist and Painter

My name is Van Hutchinson and I am an acrylic artist who believes everyone’s life can be made richer with art! As the daughter of a hobby cartoonist and hobby painter, it was no surprise to anyone when I started showing signs of creativity. When I was a child, my drawing of a vase of flowers was featured in a Dallas art competition and I was constantly writing bad poetry and submitting it to an assortment of magazines. In spite of the failure of my writing, I went on to write t.v. commercials, some of which were nominated for and even won some local and national awards.

The Smell of Turpentine

After burning out on that career, I moved to Japan to teach English. There a passion for photography popped up resulting in a dozen photos appearing in the national English newspaper, The Japan Times. Upon my return to Texas I lived with my artist mother and was constantly exposed to the smell of turpentine, which I started to dislike. Knowing how I felt about it but wanting me to return to the arts, she gave me a set of acrylic paints for Christmas and that’s when it all began. I took the set into my small bedroom and I painted. And painted. And painted some more. I couldn’t stop. That was back in 2011.

Selling Art

Now on my own in a studio apartment I paint under the light of the kitchen stove. What do I paint? Well, my subject matter has evolved over the five years I have been selling my art. I started with small paintings of hearts, then flowers, then fruit, and then portraits, never doing anything larger than an 8” x 10.” Last year I began selling prints of my Japanese photographs and this year I began a successful series of paintings based on my Japan experiences. I’m now painting landscapes, experimenting with styles and approaches. What’s next for Van of VanArtLife? I’m not completely sure but I have noticed some fantastic prices on larger canvases…