About
Biography
Hilary Sheehan is a lifelong California resident with a Ph D in Economics from UC Berkeley. The Bay Area artist creates playful abstract paintings, mixed media works and prints as well as short animations. She builds dense surfaces in her compositions using multiple layers of drawing and paint, often incorporating gestural figure drawing. While continually experimenting with new methods and materials she has developed an idiosyncratic style with strong compositions and distinctive calligraphic lines.
Before the age of 31, I was a trained economist with little exposure to art. In 1991, I took a drawing and painting class from a local community college and was instantly captivated. After that class I began to pursue an education in art as avidly as I had earlier pursued my PhD. I took classes in figure drawing, painting, mixed media, sculpture and printmaking. I read voraciously about art history and art making. I soon abandoned my career as an economist and became a full time artist. Over the years my subsequent artistic training ranged from credit classes at the local college to many workshops at Crown Point Press to learn etching.
Cezanne, Matisse and Diebenkorn's mastery of composition and color were my earliest influences. Among contemporary artists, Amy Sillman has also been particularly inspirational with her innovative composition and color in combination with an added dose of humor. I have also been intrigued by Sillman’s experiments in printmaking and animation and how they have influenced her paintings.
I paint with a wide variety of media including acrylic, pencil, watercolor, oil, pastel and cold wax. I use collage materials that vary from dry wall tape to notes from my graduate work in Economics. I enjoy how all these elements are transformed in juxtaposition to each other in my mixed media paintings.
I work in a series of layers, with each layer contributing depth and texture. A first layer might involve torn maps collaged onto a clay board surface. I will then paint and draw on the surface leaving some of the collage materials visible. Later I sometimes will collage on some econometric notes. Another step could be covering the painting with gestural figure drawings in pencil from short poses with a live model. Other times I will just draw or stencil in abstract shapes in pencil or watercolor. I will then paint or collage over these drawings, leaving parts of the underdrawing/painting exposed and then repeat the process adding more layers of painting and drawing. I usually finish paintings with a layer of cold wax and oil paint. My work combines exuberant improvisation with a very disciplined analytic approach, the latter courtesy of the economist side of my brain. I like to contrast the precision of using stencils with the loose gestural marks of blind contour drawing.
My goal as an artist is to give the viewer the thrill of discovery that I found when I drew my first still life and that continues to motivate my work. In addition to painting and drawing, I also experiment with printmaking and animation. Exploring other media gives me a different perspective and new ideas that enhance my paintings. I have developed a continually evolving idiosyncratic style with layers of color and distinctive calligraphic lines.
Cezanne, Matisse and Diebenkorn's mastery of composition and color were my earliest influences. Among contemporary artists, Amy Sillman has also been particularly inspirational with her innovative composition and color in combination with an added dose of humor. I have also been intrigued by Sillman’s experiments in printmaking and animation and how they have influenced her paintings.
I paint with a wide variety of media including acrylic, pencil, watercolor, oil, pastel and cold wax. I use collage materials that vary from dry wall tape to notes from my graduate work in Economics. I enjoy how all these elements are transformed in juxtaposition to each other in my mixed media paintings.
I work in a series of layers, with each layer contributing depth and texture. A first layer might involve torn maps collaged onto a clay board surface. I will then paint and draw on the surface leaving some of the collage materials visible. Later I sometimes will collage on some econometric notes. Another step could be covering the painting with gestural figure drawings in pencil from short poses with a live model. Other times I will just draw or stencil in abstract shapes in pencil or watercolor. I will then paint or collage over these drawings, leaving parts of the underdrawing/painting exposed and then repeat the process adding more layers of painting and drawing. I usually finish paintings with a layer of cold wax and oil paint. My work combines exuberant improvisation with a very disciplined analytic approach, the latter courtesy of the economist side of my brain. I like to contrast the precision of using stencils with the loose gestural marks of blind contour drawing.
My goal as an artist is to give the viewer the thrill of discovery that I found when I drew my first still life and that continues to motivate my work. In addition to painting and drawing, I also experiment with printmaking and animation. Exploring other media gives me a different perspective and new ideas that enhance my paintings. I have developed a continually evolving idiosyncratic style with layers of color and distinctive calligraphic lines.
CV
Hilary Romie Sheehan
Born 1958
hilaryrsheehan.com
Hilaryrsheehan@gmail.com
Education
Extensive classes in drawing, painting and printmaking. Studied painting and drawing under Georgia Goldberg and Chester Arnold and printmaking at Crown Point Press. Ph D in Economics from UC Berkeley 1988.
Selected Recent Exhibitions
2023, "Brand 51 National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper", curated by Ara Oshagan, Brand Library and Arts Center, Glendale, CA
2023, "Mixing it up with Mixed Media", curated by Susan Press, Falkirk Cultural Center,San Rafael, CA
2023, "Portals", curated by Karen Gutfreund, Arc Studios & Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023, "The Bright Side", curated by Jen Tough, Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2023, "Autumn 2023 Collective", Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2023, "Black White and Shades Between", juried by Emebet B. Korn, San Francisco Women's Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2022, "Wabi Sabi", juried by Naomi Kubota Lee, O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA
2022, "Annual Works on Paper Exhibition", juried by Esther Adler, LBIF, Long Beach, NJ
2022,"Harmonic Material", juried by TaVeeLee, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA
2022, "Strata", juried by Jennifer Cutshall, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, online
2022, "Nature Morte", juried by Emily Wilker, Artist Alliance Community, online
2021 "Expressions 2021", juried by Randall Sexton, Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, CA
2020 "Figure it Out", juried by Graham Beal, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2019 "Microcosmos 2" juried by Chester Arnold, Gallery 621, Benicia, CA
2019 "The Red Show", juried by Michael Paglia, Core New Art Space, Denver, CO
2017 Solo Exhibition “Gadgets and Landscapes”, Bay Model Visitors Center, Sausalito CA
2017 Solo Exhibition “Landscapes and Gadgets”, Corte Madera, CA
2016 Group Exhibition, Toadfish Gallery, Sausalito, CA
Solo installations curated by art consultant Lisa Smith
2018, Museum Parc Lobby, San Francisco, CA
2018, 530 Bush St, San Francisco,CA
Publications
2022, Contemporary Artist Magazine, Issue 1, published by Jen Tough Gallery
2022, Artistonish, July, published by Discover the Artist
Community Involvement
Art for Aids juried donations
Dart for Art juried donations
California State Parks Youth Art Contest judge
Collections
Private collection, Toronto ON
Private collection, New York, NY
Private collection, Boston,MA
Private collection, Washington DC
Private collections, San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Born 1958
hilaryrsheehan.com
Hilaryrsheehan@gmail.com
Education
Extensive classes in drawing, painting and printmaking. Studied painting and drawing under Georgia Goldberg and Chester Arnold and printmaking at Crown Point Press. Ph D in Economics from UC Berkeley 1988.
Selected Recent Exhibitions
2023, "Brand 51 National Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper", curated by Ara Oshagan, Brand Library and Arts Center, Glendale, CA
2023, "Mixing it up with Mixed Media", curated by Susan Press, Falkirk Cultural Center,San Rafael, CA
2023, "Portals", curated by Karen Gutfreund, Arc Studios & Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023, "The Bright Side", curated by Jen Tough, Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2023, "Autumn 2023 Collective", Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2023, "Black White and Shades Between", juried by Emebet B. Korn, San Francisco Women's Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2022, "Wabi Sabi", juried by Naomi Kubota Lee, O'Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA
2022, "Annual Works on Paper Exhibition", juried by Esther Adler, LBIF, Long Beach, NJ
2022,"Harmonic Material", juried by TaVeeLee, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA
2022, "Strata", juried by Jennifer Cutshall, Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, online
2022, "Nature Morte", juried by Emily Wilker, Artist Alliance Community, online
2021 "Expressions 2021", juried by Randall Sexton, Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, CA
2020 "Figure it Out", juried by Graham Beal, Healdsburg Center for the Arts, Healdsburg, CA
2019 "Microcosmos 2" juried by Chester Arnold, Gallery 621, Benicia, CA
2019 "The Red Show", juried by Michael Paglia, Core New Art Space, Denver, CO
2017 Solo Exhibition “Gadgets and Landscapes”, Bay Model Visitors Center, Sausalito CA
2017 Solo Exhibition “Landscapes and Gadgets”, Corte Madera, CA
2016 Group Exhibition, Toadfish Gallery, Sausalito, CA
Solo installations curated by art consultant Lisa Smith
2018, Museum Parc Lobby, San Francisco, CA
2018, 530 Bush St, San Francisco,CA
Publications
2022, Contemporary Artist Magazine, Issue 1, published by Jen Tough Gallery
2022, Artistonish, July, published by Discover the Artist
Community Involvement
Art for Aids juried donations
Dart for Art juried donations
California State Parks Youth Art Contest judge
Collections
Private collection, Toronto ON
Private collection, New York, NY
Private collection, Boston,MA
Private collection, Washington DC
Private collections, San Francisco Bay Area, CA