ARTIST’S  STATEMENT: My painting is an intuitive effort to place on canvas that which I enjoy seeing on a flat surface. Particular images may include figurative, landscape, floral and even non-representational. It is not something I necessarily see in my mind but rather develop, usually on a white painting surface. I then enjoy re-organizing my original idea by painting over areas and leaving some original showing. Rarely does a resolved image originally occur. My interest is primarily in color and shape. I am always amazed and inspired by my student's imagination and creativity.All art interests me.

 

ARTIST AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 9/06

Jim N. Hill, Born: Dec. 16, 1942, Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

My experience as an artist goes back to 1961 when I realized an urge to create on a flat surface. As a shy and very naive college freshman, I WOULD have chosen a college with absolutely no first year Art program. I had graduated from a high school with no Art program so I didn’t really know what I had been missing. It didn’t take long with classes at the University of Arkansas and what then was Little Rock University, that the Art bug bit. My original interest was color. Realizing I needed shape in which to place the color I developed a male and female figure I could use to place in various environments. After completing my Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Arkansas in August of 1978, I moved to Houston the closest large city and where I had relatives. After about six months, a small gallery invited me to produce works on paper board that they in turn would purchase outright on a selective basis. Soon I was making more money selling my art than I was working full time. After working fewer and fewer hours for my employer I eventually quit my job and just painted. Gallery customers were soon taking my work to distant cities and I was called to ship my work here and there across the US. I occasionally packed my work up and exhibited my paintings at regional art fairs where usually I had successful sales. At one such show a man from California bought all of my work and my hand painted sign. In 1982 I rented a space in New York City at the New York Art Expo held then in the Coliseum near Central Park South. I had much success with national and foreign wholesale and retail buyers. I exhibited my work at this show annually for 8 years. I eventually opened a small gallery and studio on Memorial Drive in Houston and hired an assistant. At least 10 editions of silk screens were printed in New York and Mexico City. There were two solo exhibitions in Mexico City each with gala openings. Following the death of my Mother in 1991 and my Father coming to Houston to live with me, I turned my attention more to teaching. For numerous years I have taught as an adjunct College instructor and more recently as a full time teacher at a private school. Among exhibitions during the past 15 years, I was a co-owner of Archway Gallery in Houston with a continuing display of new works. In June,2006, I developed a web site on the internet which allowed many former and new art collectors a chance to view my latest work.