BURGERFUEL X JAMES HUNT

James Hunt is an artist who also happens to workat BurgerFuel HQ. Important distinction. Art has always been the main event forJames; BurgerFuel is the side hustle that keeps him unusually close to burgers,questionable office chat and, conveniently, Creative, Sweet. His work andcreative practice exist well beyond our four walls, which makes having anartist like James kicking around inside them feel like something worthcelebrating.

For his exclusive BurgerFuel piece, James gets tobring those two parts of his world together. He knows BurgerFuel from theinside, but approaches the work as an artist first, bringing his ownperspective rather than simply making something that looks like an ad withnicer edges. That’s what Creative, Sweet should be: a platform for artists tomake work that still feels unmistakably theirs. In this case, we didn’t have tolook very far to find one. James was already here.

Available exclusively through BurgerFuel Parts& Supply head HERE.

We caught up with James to talk all thingscreative, if you’re a visual human, have a watch here. If you love to take inwords, check out more below.

https://www.burgerfuel.com/nz/world-of-burgerfuel/articles/burger-run-with-james-hunt

James Hunt x BurgerFuel: Art, Joy & Creative, Sweet

Sometimes your worlds collide in the best possible way.

For artist and BurgerFuel HQ team member James Hunt, Creative, Sweet is exactly that — a chance to bring his own art practice into the BurgerFuel universe without losing what makes it his.

Working inside BurgerFuel has given James a front-row seat to the brand’s relationship with artists and the wider creative community, and for him, that made the collaboration feel like a natural fit.

When work and art meet

“It feels great,” James says.

“Working at BurgerFuel, I get to see first-hand how much effort goes into supporting and engaging with the creative community in a way that feels genuine, rather than treating creativity as something to bolt on for cool points.”

James has always kept his personal art practice separate from his day job, but Creative, Sweet gave him a way to bring the two together without forcing the connection.

“I’ve always kept my own art practice as its own thing, but this feels like a really natural way for the two worlds to meet.”

A first for the wall

Creative, Sweet also marks another milestone for James: it’s the first time he’s released one of his paintings as a print.

“I’ve wanted to make prints of my work for ages,” he says.

“Original paintings aren’t always the most accessible thing for people to own, so I really like the idea of being able to offer something that still feels special, but is a bit more attainable.”

The biggest problem was choosing what to print.

“I’m terrible at picking favourites, and I think I’ve probably overthought it to the point where I just haven’t done it at all.”

With a new chapter of life on the way as he prepares to become a dad, prints also feel like a good way to keep getting his work out into the world.

“I’m under no illusion that I’m going to have the same amount of time to pump out original paintings for a while. So prints feel like a really nice way to keep putting my work out into the world and make it easier for people to own something of mine.”

Sometimes all you need is an excuse to stop overthinking it.

Creating from the inside

Knowing BurgerFuel from the inside made creating the piece easier, not harder.

James says the process came with very little creative restriction, which is exactly how he thinks artist collaborations should work.

“From what I’ve seen, BurgerFuel has always been pretty respectful of letting artists be artists. There weren’t really any guidelines or demands to make the work all about the brand.”

The invitation itself was also very BurgerFuel.

“When the project first came across my desk, literally in the form of an email from my colleague and friend sitting about three metres away, I remember thinking, yeah awesome, this sounds rad.”

And even without the HQ connection, he reckons the answer would’ve been the same.

“It’s something I would’ve been genuinely stoked to be involved with even if I had nothing to do with BurgerFuel other than enjoying their delicious kai.”

Colour, chaos and a bit of optimism

For anyone discovering James’ work for the first time, the goal is pretty simple: put a bit more joy into the world.

His work is colourful, playful and optimistic, but not without a little darkness underneath.

“There’s usually a bit of darkness in there too. That feeling of throwing your hands up and laughing because everything’s a bit fricked anyway.”

That contrast is something he’s becoming increasingly interested in — creating work that feels fun and positive without pretending everything is perfect.

From here, James wants to keep pushing that balance across painting, illustration and larger-scale work.

And his artistic philosophy remains refreshingly straightforward.

“Painting is fun. I like it.”