AMM Artist Feature: Lori Hyland
“My work becomes a matter of discovery and investigation; creation as well as destruction with every moment new forms taking place.”
Lori Hyland is a native Californian and Los Angeles based artist specializing in large-scale abstract paintings. Hyland graduated from the University of Southern California before studying life drawing and classical art at Pratt Institute and School of Visual Arts in New York. She furthered her training in the traditional Japanese Sumi-e with Koho Sensei and figurative modalities with Artist Tom Wudl.
Hyland is inspired by her natural surroundings, internalizing all energy and light sources to arouse her artistic expression. This process is clearly echoed in her paintings, which exude a fundamentally abstract reflection of color.
Much of Hyland’s work is constructed by closely placing together small grids of color to encourage refraction. “By themselves, the [small grids of color] have little meaning but placed in the whole reveal several levels of symbolism leading to a meaningful statement”. Fascinatingly, each piece of Hyland’s artwork comes with a signature full-spectrum color bar, identifying and complementing the piece itself.
Hyland’s work has been exhibited throughout Europe and the United States in galleries and art fairs. Her most recent exhibition is “Magnetic Collective”, which begins on May 9th and can be viewed until May 29th at The Standard Oil Building (257 N. Canon Dr.) in Beverly Hills.
AMM: When did you realize you wanted to be a painter?
LORI HYLAND: As a child I was always fascinated by color and paints. My parents thought it would take away from my music lessons, so my childhood was immersed in music, which is a form of color as well. To this day I love both, so it just depends on how you want to express color. I can’t choose between the two but for time, hours, thoughts and dreams it is in color that applies to my canvases.
AMM: Describe your state of being when you are painting.
LH: It depends on what it is I’m painting. If it is an abstraction, I’m somewhat free however even in these looser forms of expression I’m always conscious and disciplined, and actually find it more difficult to have a successful abstract then representational. In a way I envy the abstract painters that can just freely let the paint flow, drip or come to the canvas randomly without thought and the painting is cohesive. From the inception of my work when I airbrush the surface, I maintain control and choose from many different palettes which I photoshop first and then make a choice.
AMM: How many studies do you typically create before the final piece?
LH: The studies I do are in photoshop where I establish the basic parameters of the painting, that is if I’m doing a representational work. As I’m dealing in ancient Greek figures now, I need to do a lot of research first then figure out how I will approach it both in color and deconstruction which I often do.
AMM: Where would you go If you could paint anywhere in the universe?
LH: I live in Southern California, both the mountains where I have a horse ranch and the city. All forms of light are interesting to me from the natural landscapes to the light in urban cities, especially in New York with its towering peaks that seem to touch each other as you look upwards.
AMM: Who are some of your heros/heroines?
LH: My heroes/heroines occur daily as I witness those who express kindness and compassion in human and unique ways. Sometimes it is a very small gesture and others we witness in grand newsworthy ways.
Visit www.lorihyland.com to view a full compilation of Lori’s artwork. If interested in Lori Hyland artwork please contact: Reiss@ArtsManagementMagazine.com
