Art student draws on Greek experience for inspiration
Thursday, February 12, 2009
OSU studio art senior Darryl Hillard sits in front of two of his paintings. His artwork
was chosen to be part of an exhibit by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition. It will
be on display in Oklahoma City and at the Gardiner Art Gallery at OSU.
(February 12, 2009 Stillwater, OK) - An Oklahoma State University studio art student has used his college experience as inspiration for his latest series of artwork. Senior Darryl Hillard has specifically focused his art on those things he’s had to overcome in the past few years.
Hillard, who grew up in northeast Oklahoma City, is one of the first people in his family to go to college. “Usually people in my neighborhood end up selling drugs or getting in trouble somehow and never leave,” Hillard said. “I am proud to be a proven product of the American dream; that person who pulled himself out. All things are possible through Christ Jesus.”
Hillard said he has been making art since he could hold a crayon, and his decision to study art was never in question. “If you go to college, study something you love. Otherwise, you might as well just get a job anywhere. For me, that ‘something’ was art.”
Hillard is currently working on a body of artwork he has titled “Stages of Embattlement with My Alter Ego.” He credits his time in college for playing the part of muse for this project.
“‘Stages’ is all about the different personalities that I felt conflict within myself as a Greek student in college and how each personality represents someone who is bigger than me,” Hillard said. “It’s about that struggle.”
Hillard’s work has recently been recognized by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition and he has been chosen as one of only three “spotlight artists” in the organization’s upcoming exhibit “Momentum: Art Doesn’t Stand Still.”
As a spotlight artist, Hillard produced the “Stages of Embattlement with My Alter Ego” series especially for the exhibit and each piece represents reflections about some aspect of his life in college.
Hillard understands that art is often a tough field and there are usually more critics than fans. “Not everyone understands my art,” he said. “I just try to pour my heart out anyway.”
See Hillard’s art at the “Momentum” exhibit in Oklahoma City on March 6 and 7, go to http://www.ovac-ok.org or view his exhibit in the OSU Gardiner Art Gallery March 11-27.