David Hunter
A native of Central Florida, David Hunter is a master printmaker and experienced art educator, who is well-known at Crealdé for his wry sense of humor and remarkable patience with teaching his art to students, adult and children alike. Printmaking is a process of creating images, or etchings, using acid to etch lines into a hard metal plate, and then using that plate to make prints. Many of Hunter's etching are infused with natural Florida. Despite inheriting his father's talent for artwork at an early age, he earned a B.S. and M.S. in zoology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. After illustrating his master's thesis with pen-and-ink drawings, he realized his strong attraction to pen and ink. After working as a biology research associate at the University of Central Florida, he taught 7th grade life sciences and 8th grade physical sciences for five years, returning to art in his spare time. In 1977 he participated in his first art show, took a year's leave of absence from teaching, and continued to become a full-time artist, creating more than 80,000 etchings to date. Hunter was instrumental in forming the Florida Printmakers Society in 1986, becoming its first president at that time. He also is a long-standing member of the Miniature Art Society of Florida, the Miniature Painter, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. and a signature member of the Miniature Artists of America. His unique etchings infused with the imagery of natural Florida consistently continue to draw top awards in art festivals and competitions in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. In addition to being a faculty member in Crealdé's Painting & Drawing Program, he teaches workshops throughout the Southeast.