My story started as a child in Alabama, wistfully filling notepads with doodles of flowers, ribbons and ladies in 18th century French court fashions. Though I had never left the southern United States, faraway times and places beckoned, and my pen answered with my drawings.
At 12 years old, I received a calligraphy pen for Christmas, and a love of this ancient art of lettering was born. Art and French were my favorite subjects in school, and I dreamt of what life in France was like.
Following graduation from the University of Mississippi, I made the daring decision to move to France. Employed as an English teaching assistant at two junior high schools in the far-flung Parisian suburbs, I was close in proximity to - yet far in reality from - the gilded rooms of the palace of Versailles, home to the court ladies of my childhood doodles. I countered the challenges of life abroad with travels, museum visits, and an intensive study of the French language.
In 2009, while living in Washington, DC, I started my calligraphy business after friends began asking me to address their wedding invitations in my “nice handwriting.” Over the following years, I addressed thousands of envelopes and taught hundreds of students calligraphy through my in-person and online classes.
In 2014, as a married mother of a 2-year-old and 8-month-old, I suffered a tragic accident that left me with a crushed right leg. Bedridden for 16 months and unable to live independently while undergoing around 30 surgeries in an effort to save my leg, art was a source of comfort for me. It was during this time that I discovered the iPad Pro + Apple pencil, and began using the Procreate app to create hand-drawn, digital artwork. While I enjoy working in traditional mediums, the ease and portability of my iPad makes it a practical and surprisingly versatile tool for bringing my artwork to life. My iPad accompanies me to doctor appointments, carpool lines, and airports.
Today my story continues, finding beauty in everyday living and seeking inspiration and adventure through travels with my family.
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Beth Hunt is an artist based in Oxford, Mississippi, finding inspiration near and far through life and travels with her husband and two children. Her work has been featured in national publications such as USAToday.com and Food Network Magazine. In addition to being an advocate for the arts, she has a passion for classical music, Christian education, floral fabrics and French pastries.
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Please note that I am not currently accepting orders for envelope addressing or calligraphy commissions such as writing poems, vows, etc. Click here to purchase my artwork.
For all other inquiries, please email beth.s.hunt@gmail.com.