A piece titled "Rapture" by South Carolina Artist Roger Hutchison at the Center for the Faith and Arts. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

South Carolina Artist Roger Hutchison. Hutchison is a finger painter and paints mainly abstracts. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

A piece titled "Symphony" by South Carolina Artist Roger Hutchison at the Center for the Faith and Arts at Haven Luthern Church. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

By Katie Scarvey

kscarvey@salisburypost.com

Artist Roger Hutchison might be more in touch than your average person with his inner child.

That would explain his painting technique — he applies paint with his fingers, for the most part, instead of brushes.

Hutchison's work is on exhibit at the Center for Faith and the Arts in Salisbury, with an opening reception 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16. It is free and open to the public.

Bold and full of color, his work appeals strongly to children, Hutchison says.

That seems appropriate, since children are such an integral part of Hutchison's life. He is Canon for Children's Ministries at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, S.C., as well as director of the Trinity Center for Mission and Ministry. Much of his job involves working with families and children, he says, dealing with their sorrows and their joys.

There is, in fact, a "childlike component" to his art, which, he says, mirrors his day-to-day life working with children, being a dad and the husband of a kindergarten teacher.

"In so many ways, I try to see how a child sees," he says.

His 6-year-old daughter, Riley, likes to help him name paintings, he says. She helped him title a painting of three eggs: "Basket Full of Sky."

Hutchison's art is very much about exploration.

"I just start squeezing paint," he says. He continues working until he reaches a place where he likes what has happened on the canvas.

"My favorite thing is that I don't know what the outcome is going to be — sort of like life. I just don't ever know."

For Hutchison, art is a serious hobby — one that keeps him up late. "I don't get enough sleep," he confides.

His painting, he says, helps him work through the emotions that are a part of his work.

Painting is his prayer time, he says, his quiet time.

The son of an Episcopal priest, Hutchison grew up in Oxford, Miss.

He's always been artistic, he says. When he was in the ninth grade, he was lucky to have an art teacher who took an interest in his talent.

He later went to Warren Wilson College in Asheville, where he was "submerged and surrounded with the beauty of the mountains."

As an artist, much of what he does is landscape-oriented — but it's landscape "pushed to its limits," he says.

Hutchison's colorful landscapes reflect strong emotion. His focus, he says, is "the landscape of the heart."

Hutchison is passionate about color, which is immediately evident in his bold, vibrant pieces.

Although he says he's not an ocean person, he loves painting the sea, and he loves horizons, where the sky meets the earth.

He also loves circles.

"In most every piece, you see one," he says, whether it stands out or is simply a faint image.

Religion is not overt in Hutchison's paintings — you won't find any crosses.

Still, his Christian faith suffuses his work and is evidenced in the titles, like the abstract butterfly called "Easter." There are also "The Color of Heaven," "Sanctuary" and "Burning Bush."

Missy Shives notes that the Hutchison exhibit is the Center for Faith and the Arts' first art exhibit featuring the work of someone with a church career.

Hutchison says his influences include Van Gogh, Chagall, Pollack and Picasso.

His pieces are unframed, intentionally — he likes the art to spill over the edges of the canvas.

Recently, a large religious publishing house, Morehouse, chose one of his paintings, "Rapture," to use on a poster. "I'm very open to sharing images of my work, especially with religious organizations," he says. He's had several exhibits in Columbia at businesses and restaurants, and he's been thrilled by how well his paintings have sold.

Hutchison's paintings will be displayed in the galleries of Center for Faith and the Arts through Nov. 21.

Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Group visits at night or on weekends may be arranged by calling the center at 704-647-0999.

Center for Faith and the Arts is located in the basement of Haven Lutheran Church, 207 W. Harrison St., Salisbury. Entrance is from the parking lot in the rear of the building.

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