Susan Hunt-Wulkowicz

Welcome to the countryside! Through this artwork I share with you the beauty of the changing of the seasons viewed thru my mind's eye. A rich tapestry emerges from the complex and varied threads of nature's colors and I thank you for joining me on this journey of observation.

Though I now live in a beautiful setting in rural Wisconsin, this work began in a windowless studio in the center of the city where I spent my first 45 years.  I grew up in the building in which my father, William Hunt, was born - on the last inhabited block next to downtown Chicago.  My mother, Juanita Crunk, was a scholarship student at the Art Institute of Chicago when they met and later married.

I was born in Biloxi, Mississippi in 1944 where my father was stationed during WW II.  At the age of 6, I began attending scholarship classes at the Art Institute and continued there thru my first year of college.  I married a fellow student, Robert Wulkowicz, in 1962 and left school to work independently on my art and raise children Eric, Jason, and Korin.

In 1969 I purchased my first etching press and began my printmaking career.

After a close brush with death from a ruptured appendix in 1975, my life was profoundly changed.  I replaced sadness with work in the studio and my imagery turned to country themes.  Three years later Robert and I were divorced.

In 1980, I co-founded the Chicago Center for the print with Dennis McWilliams, master printer and educator from Wisconsin.  We were married the following year and blessed with a daughter Haven, in 1985. As a result of soaring property taxes, we sold the center in 1989 and moved to rural Wisconsin, realizing a long-held dream. We felt that God had picked us up, shook us, and put us down where we belonged.  We joined a small country church to help us express our thanks to God for our life change.

In 1996, both Dennis and I had the honor of representing the State of Wisconsin in a cultural exchange with our "Sister-State," the Prefecture of Chiba, Japan.  There we exhibited our original prints and demonstrated our hand coloring techniques to the Japanese public.  We extended our trip and made personal appearances at two galleries in Tokyo hosting special exhibitions of my artwork.  Our journey ended with a visit to Kyoto, and a reunion with the best friend of my childhood.  Since then, Dennis, Haven and I have traveled to Japan for personal appearances and signings at galleries having exhibitions of my work. 

My artwork has always been imaginary, as I escaped the city by creating the places I'd rather be.  These works became increasingly detailed to bring the fantasy closer to reality.  As my eyes changed, I turned to magnification for a greater level of fineness.  Each image contains tiny details, such as insects and other creatures that the surroundings require.  Images created since our move to Wisconsin include the tiny lettering of scriptures, in addition to the names of family and friends.  These details, woven into the imagery, have become a small trademark of my work.  All of creation is an amazing miracle, even down to the smallest blade of grass.  I'll never tire of expressing this belief.

Welcome to the countryside.

Susan's etchings and lithographs are original prints: created backwards; printed in black; hand colored with watercolors; signed; and numbered in limited editions.  Works by Hunt-Wulkowicz have been widely exhibited in national and international print competitions alike.  Over 100 galleries around the world represent Hunt-Wulkowicz at this time.