Artist of the Month October 2008

Ricky Hill

Los Angeles, CA

I was born and raised on the banks of Lake Erie, in Erie Pennsylvania. After graduating high school in 1970, and working for four years, I attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, where I graduated in 1976. In 1981 I made the move to Los Angeles, and for 27 years I’ve worked in the graphic design world. I studied briefly at the Santa Monica City College, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, and Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, but I’m mostly self-taught. Over the course of my 10 year sculpting career—and for years preparing to sculpt —I studied many well known sculptors and their work. My subjects are mostly wildlife and western themes.

How and when did you start creating art?

As a child, after my father came home from work, I used to sit and watch him draw, he loved to sit and sketch after dinner. As I grew older and on through high school my passion for art grew. Then after working 20 years as a graphic artist, the passion turned to sculpting.

What media and genres do you work in?

Strictly Oil based clay

Who or what are your influences?

: First and foremost, my Dad for getting me into the art field, and I love studying the wildlife works of Ken Rowe and Sandy Scott, and the western sculpture of John Coleman and Mel Lawson.

First Catch of the Day - My family still lives in Erie, one day my two sisters e-mailed me pictures of a couple of bald eagles returning to nest on the shores of Lake Erie, I saw their beauty and decided to dedicate a piece to them.

Describe your creative process?

Once I get an idea of what I want to do, I begin to research any information I can find, be it pictures, articles, whatever, then I make a quick sketch of my idea and make any corrections, then decide what size I want it to be, start building my armature, and applying the clay.

What are you working on currently?

I work on a few pieces at a time, one is an 1850’s trapper with a birch bark canoe full of skins, and I’m starting a series of 18th century woodland Indians from eastern Pennsylvania and Western New York areas.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

My near term goal is to get into a studio where I can continue to grow and focus on developing a unique style, and work on larger pieces. My long term goal is to attend more shows, and get my work into galleries around the country.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

My work is available on my website at www.rickhillbronze.com, which includes my contact info.

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