art treatise
STEPPING outside the comfort zone is a great way to find
travel, experiences inspire new creations
The Journey of Artist Amelia Hutchins By Fritts Causby
inspiration. Whether it is an active pursuit, something
passive or a happy accident does not really matter. The
point is travel, new experiences, landscapes and settings
have exerted a significant influence on the lives of numerous art-ists
and the work they produced.
What if Hemingway had decided to stay home instead of
running with the bulls? What if Hunter S. Thompson had never
visited Puerto Rico or Las Vegas?
Amelia Hutchins, artist, entrepreneur and mom to budding
professional surfer Delilah Hutchins (see page 44) has temporarily
left Wrightsville Beach in favor of the warmer water and higher
quality surf in Costa Rica.
It is impossible not to think of Paul Gauguin, his life in Tahiti
and the incredible volume of work that followed. Who remem-bers
Gauguin’s early work anyway? For those of us who are not
art historians or critics, his work conjures images of rich, vibrant
colors, Polynesian culture, bright flowers and tropical landscapes.
Gauguin was not exactly an unknown before his journey to and
residency in Tahiti, but his best work resulted from his time there.
The Costa Rican landscape is similar to that of Tahiti: showy
flowers, rich, verdant greens and the deep, endless blue of the
Pacific. Mountaintops and cliffs allow for endless, unobstructed
views of the ocean and sky, and it’s an understatement to say the
color palette presents a contrast to that of Wrightsville Beach.
After learning more about the “Rich Coast” and the life of
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WBM june 2020
Amelia Hutchins, a long-time
surfer and a native of the
Southeast with a passion for
art and the natural world, it
is easy to see why she says
she has found a new home
there. Like Gauguin, her
decision to leave the world
she knew behind was a leap
of faith.
Already a successful
artist, Hutchins faced a
language barrier when she
initially arrived in Costa
Rica. Relocating to a foreign
country is hard enough;
doing so without the ben-efit
of knowing the local
language ups the stakes
significantly. Apart from the
obvious — beautiful scenery,
fresh seafood, a relaxing
lifestyle and great surf —
Hutchins had a different rea-son
for making a fresh start
in Costa Rica.
Supporting her daughter
was the impetus. This is
another departure from
Gauguin, who famously
turned his back on his many,
many children.
Artist Amelia Hutchins works
from her home in Costa Rica. COURTESY AMELIA HUTCHINS