Eleanor Harwood Gallery is pleased to present Hunter Saxony III’s third solo show with the gallery, Axis of Compassion. The exhibition will be on view from Saturday, September 6th, through October 18th, 2025. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, September 6th, from 5-7 pm.
Saxony III’s work, presented with a signature palette of red and black brush strokes paired with a confident mark-making identity, reflects the artist’ lived experience, culminating in delicate and pivotal moments of reflection. Through many years as a self-taught artist, he has mastered lettering, filigree, flourishes, the intricacies and technical sides of calligraphy. Here, Hunter Saxony III demonstrates technical mastery and a commitment to artistic inquiry and evolution.
The ink on pergamenata pieces such as “Step Mother,” “Inkwell,” “Penance,” “Penitence,” and “I Had to Learn the Hard Way…” invites the viewer into an open-ended dialogue that confronts the enduring legacy of his challenging upbringing. Saxony III also refers to the potential burdens of being raised with the mantra of Black Excellence within the familial unit. Raised by high-achieving academics, Black Excellence wasa driving doctrine within the family. Black Excellence means the demonstration of high achievement, brilliance, and success by black individuals and communities, often in spite of systemic barriers and discrimination. In these pieces, the artist articulates a journey from the initial pain of these formative experiences to a “destitute understanding” of his childhood and the influence of his parents.
In “Tudor Rose,” the artist utilizes the historic symbol of the Tudor Rose that represents the unification of two houses and an end to conflict. The distinct ornamental marks overlay one another, building layer upon layer, signifying harmony and a new beginning. Hunter Saxony III’s line of inquiry into the human condition culminates in a resolution that transcends reconciliation, seeking an “unchained resolution” that suggests liberation from past grievances.
In “Holy Spirit,” the artist takes a further departure from themes of familial disconnection by referencing inclusions of his chosen family in the exhibit. Including one work by Megan Wilson, the artist’s life partner and acclaimed tattoo artist, introducing the idea of shared “familiars”—a term that encompasses deeply cherished companions. Including Wilson’s work celebrates the idea of chosen familial connectivity. A piece by sculptor Lecia Wilson, Megan Wilson’s mother, further underscores the exhibition’s thematic core of compassion. Including both Wilson’s acts as a “toast to a life of art together,”. In “Axis of Compassion,” the artist provides a vital reflection on familial disharmony, highlighting the importance of chosen family, artistic collaboration, and the enduring power of compassionate relationships.
Artist Bio
A Rhode Island-born, San Francisco-based Ornamental Calligrapher, Hunter Saxony III investigates love and loss, mortality, preservation, and the discovery of self. His lifelong penchant for written words can also be seen in a minimalist version of storytelling that invites the viewer to consider just as much as it asks for understanding. Saxony employs shape, form, and text to present a delicate and sometimes visceral look into the human condition.
His works have been collected by The Letterform Archive and the Richard Harrison Collection of Calligraphy & Lettering at the San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, CA
About Eleanor Harwood Gallery
Eleanor Harwood Gallery opened September 2006 in the Mission District and is now located in San Francisco’s premier gallery complex, the Minnesota Street Project. The gallery specializes in work with complex craft and concept, exhibiting painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles and photography by emerging to mid-career artists. The roster includes artists that are represented in major American, European and Asian collections. The gallery actively promotes and encourages career growth for represented artists.
Location
1275 Minnesota Street, Suite 105, San Francisco, CA 94107
Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 11 am-5:00 pm and by appointment
Contact
(p) 415.867.7770
(e) eleanor@eleanorharwood.com
Check gallery website for hours and additional info
