The life of an artist

Patrick Hunter, better known as Inkhunter, is a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design graduate who is making a splash in a big way.

Pursuing the life of an artist isn’t always easy. Luckily for ACU alumnus Patrick, his artist mother and grandmother already led the way.

“I was so lucky to have an artistic upbringing with creative people surrounding me,” Patrick said. “Though, it’s funny, that while both my mum and nan are artists, I never really asked them to teach me new skills. I was just always observing and paying attention. For me, this was the best way to learn and I subconsciously took it all in. Because of them, I knew I’d get into art. It was always for me, there was nothing else.”

A happy medium

While Patrick now specialises in street art on a grand scale – one of his latest works stretches for an epic 70 metres along a construction site wall – being exposed to all of the different mediums during his degree became a valuable lesson.

“One of the best things about going to uni to study art in-depth was it helped me gain a solid understanding across all of the mediums,” he said. “It really forced our minds to stretch and push in different ways.

“I like having that base knowledge now, even if I’m not using everything I learnt every day. But when I have to get creative and think of a concept for a new project or design, this knowledge from uni helps it all come together.”

Live action

One of Patrick’s latest creations is in a prime position on the promenade leading to Manly Beach in Sydney, where eight million people stroll by each year. Patrick was tasked with transforming a blank 70-metre construction site wall into a uniquely urban artwork. However, he was not alone and volunteers from the local community were encouraged to pick up a paint brush.

“I had all sorts of people helping me complete it, including lots of kids from the local school.”

When Patrick and his volunteers were busy painting, onlookers enjoyed live music and relaxed in deck chairs seeing the artwork come to life – literally watching paint dry. Patrick’s Sunset Dreaming design was so successful, it went on to win ‘Best Utility Art’ at the recent Australian Street Art Awards.  

About time

While Patrick is now an in-demand street artist, with big clients like Four Pines beer and Westpac to his name, he readily admits success didn’t come quickly – or easily.

“I definitely felt scared about my future career when I was studying,” Patrick said. “It took me a good two years to build a portfolio, and during this time I was just working casual jobs and getting support from Centrelink. And I was lucky enough to get a government grant that helped me stretch things further. But figuring out how to turn visual arts into an actual career has been the hardest part.

“So when I left uni, I DM’d as many street artists as I could. This turned out to be the best career move I made – I’d just hang out with other artists to learn from them. I met lots of likeminded people, like Alex Lehours, who also studied visual arts at ACU, and the street artist, Mulga, who sold t-shirts at markets and inspired me to try the same thing.”

The artist’s way

While Patrick is busier than ever these days developing the Inkhunter brand, his head is firmly on his shoulders as he rides the ups and downs of the artist’s life.

“What usually happens is you have a win, and then you wait. Then you’ll get another win – and another wait. Things happen that are completely out of your hands,” he said.

“Recently, I had a job lined up with a local council, but now it might not happen because of the bushfires in their area. Or maybe a job opportunity gets taken away because of something like a shifting budget, and suddenly your artwork might not be the right step for them after all.”

Failing up

Making mistakes, sometimes big ones, has all been a part of Patrick’s growth as an artist. “It’s so hard. You need to have a realistic approach to jobs and it takes a lot of time. You have to be dedicated and you must be ready to fail – a lot. But what I found is uni is a really good place to do that. You later realise those mistakes you make while you’re studying become part of your process as an artist.”

Patrick’s plan for now is to follow his passion for painting and see where it leads him.

“I want to keep illustrating for anyone who enjoys it, I want to continue building my portfolio, and I want to keep working with big brands and talking to everyone I can.

“I’m just happy right now – but it took me a long time to get here.”

Find out more about growing a career like Patrick’s with a degree in visual arts.