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Hilla Hueber

hillahueber's picture
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
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Inspiration for my drawings comes from everyday surroundings, such as freeways, bridges, unusual perspectives, and 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 undeveloped idea from earlier work.

Pen and ink is my preferred medium. I begin work by painting luminous backgrounds in either black and white or a limited palette. Subtle contours emerge and the overlay of various tonal values creates depth and ignites the next phase of drawing. With a technical pen detailed and complex shapes are drawn on the background. These are intended to form a dynamic, balanced whole. As I work, I am part of a dialog between foreground and background, between lines, marks and geometric elements. Each shape is a response to a certain area of the drawing or to the whole work at that point in time.

I am compelled to respond to what I see with fresh eyes when I begin 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.