Hill, a Birmingham resident, has served as the chair of the visual arts department for the Alabama School of Fine Arts for more than 12 years. He received a degree in printmaking from the Atlanta School of Art and is an exhibiting artist, showing his work in places like The New Vision Gallery in Atlanta, The Crossroads Initiative in New Orleans and The Samford Art Gallery in Birmingham. Hill was also chosen as one of 13 printmakers to work in The University of Montevallo’s Big Print Project.
His newest exhibit is influenced by 1970s and 1980s African American pop culture, as well as abstract expressionist, minimalist and pop art paintings created by artists Kenneth Noland, Jasper Johns and Robert Indiana.
“His art is very modern,” said Angie Bartelt, a senior majoring in political science. “By using dark grey tones, Hill’s art has a very metallic feel to it.”
One of the recurring themes of Hill’s art is the afro comb. It started out as an early print, then transformed into an icon in many of his paintings. Bartelt said Hill’s work is also characterized by sharp contrasts.
“His use of angle and sharp edges puts an industrialization feel as a theme to his work,” she said. “I think that a theme could also possibly be the idea of malleableness, because although he uses sharp angles, he also has a roundness and softness to his art.”
Brandon Benton, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, said the theme of equality comes out in Hill’s work through hip-hop influences that often operate as an important social outlet for black Americans to speak on inequality and race relations. Aesthetically, he said he enjoyed the innovative design of Hill’s work.
“Geometry and radial symmetry are prominent in some of his works, and the frequent use of wood as a medium makes for intriguing patterns and compositions,” Benton said. “Overall I would describe Hill’s art as strikingly dark ordered chaos.”
The public is invited to a reception for Hill’s exhibit Thursday, Nov. 6 from 5 to 7 p.m.
