ARTIST STATEMENT

Drawings

In my drawings I investigate the relationship existing between man-made structures and the natural environment. As a society with our need for housing, workspace, energy, and transportation we expand into nature and use it – altering and often destroying it in the process. I wish to draw attention to our environment as we have shaped it and its significant influence on us - whether we are aware of it or not.

I explore these thoughts with abstract drawings in pen and ink. My inspiration comes from my everyday surroundings; buildings, freeways, bridges, unusual perspectives, the play of light and shadow on buildings or in open spaces - everything that can be found in an urban environment. I usually work in small series, starting with a single idea or a new concept or an idea that was left undeveloped in earlier work.

Pen and ink is my preferred medium for drawings.  Ink wash, either in black and white or a limited palette of two to three colors allows me to paint transparent luminous backgrounds with subtle contours. The overlay of various tonal values creates depth and ignites the next phase of drawing on this background with a technical pen to build detailed and complex shapes that are intended to form a dynamic, balanced whole. While I work I am included in a dialog ensuing between the background and the lines, marks, and geometrical elements, each shape is a response to a certain area of the drawing or the whole work as it appears at that point in time.  

In many cases I have only a vague idea how a drawing will look when completed. Most often it will evolve based on the marks I made the previous day. I am compelled to respond to what I see with fresh eyes when beginning work in the studio each day. I see these drawings as focused meditations on light, shadow, existing and imagined boundaries, the environment, and our shared human experience.

As a co-founder of the Art, Wine & Dine Artists group, and COCA - Coalition of California Artists, Hilla was involved in creating a presence and exhibit opportunities in the Bay Area for individual artists and artist groups. As a member of the Board of NCWCA, the Northern California Women Caucus for the Arts, she focused on internal communications between the Board and Members. 

She joined GEDOK-A46 Düsseldorf in 2017 and has been elected to the Board in 2019.