Local artist, Cameron Park resident Sherry Huntting draws from her skills as a makeup artist and fashion designer to teach painting portraitures.

She has loved art as long as she can remember, and as a young girl she designed clothes for her paper dolls and later for herself. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Science degree in clothing and textiles. After several years working as a fashion designer in Los Angeles, Huntting moved to Cameron Park with her husband Phil to open a fashion image consulting business.

Huntting custom designed clothing for about four years and wrote two books; a personal makeover book, entitled Dressing with Style: Planning a Successful Wardrobe, and The Non-Surgical Face-Lift Regeneration is the Key. The books were guides to help her clients remember what she taught in her sessions.

“My whole life changed after my first Frank Covino Workshop,” she says. “I finally was able to get the art instruction I needed to become the artist of my dreams.” She always wanted to be an artist but thought it was more practical (and lucrative) to go into fashion design. But by 1996, Huntting felt it was time to pursue her true passion for painting and drawing, and she found out about a realistic artist, Frank Covino, who taught classical academic art. Huntting has completed extensive training in the classical methods from Covino continuously since 1998. According to her, Covino has in-depth knowledge of the Masters’ methods.

Encouraging Huntting to take the next step, Covino suggested to her on multiple occasions that she should start teaching. At the time she just wanted to become a great artist, but over time she gave the idea more thought. “Sherry has the unique qualification of a masterful artist who can also teach the elements of classical academism to any student,” Covino says. “Intelligent students respond well to the guidance of an intelligent teacher,” he continues.

Taking the advice, Huntting began teaching at Utrecht Art Supplies in Sacramento, however, after teaching in five cities a week, she decided to move her business under one roof. Now, Huntting is a practicing artist who likes to paint landscape, seascape, flowers and people. Her work as a fashion designer has given her knowledge of how fabrics drape the body, which has helped her in figurative drawing and painting.

The Academy of Classical Realism is geared towards students who cannot attend school full time, but want to learn to paint. Huntting only teaches a limited number of students so that each person gets individual attention. The curriculum is designed to teach technical mastery of craftsmanship, which develops skills in the classical European tradition.

“As long as I can remember, I have been drawing, painting or designing something,” Huntting says. “It is as much of my life as breathing is. I can’t think of anything more gratifying than creating beautiful art.”

For more information on Huntting’s work, visit sherryhuntting.com or call 530-677-1282.