Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine profiles Hilario and his art in the Style Makers feature of the Fall 2010 Arizona edition.

Luxe Magazine caters to the sophisticated and affluent homeowner who appreciates beautiful surroundings. Readers of Luxe Magazine find endless inspiration and access to the finest ways of living.

Luxe Magazine is a national publication with regional editions published four times a year. To find out more or to obtain a copy of the current Arizona edition with Hilario’s profile, go to the Luxe Magazine website.

These works of Hilario are featured in the Luxe Magazine article.

A good friend told me that he would have responded to my blogs but “they were too deep”.  I know it’s been a while since I have discussed my work and my feelings but my point of view is sincere.  And, as an artist, I try to make my point of view inspiring and thought provoking.  But, it is just my point of view and it is not meant to be condescending or above any other.  Painting is like music, dance, or any other artistic form, the soulful response is the emotion that we all take from it.  Art is meant to entertain our spirit on all levels of emotion determined by our individual reality, a reality that our own life is shaping for each one of us.

So talk to me about “The Sound Of Yesterday”.  How does the title make you feel? What is your emotional response to its subtle structure that is taken over by the chaotic movement of paint?  My feelings that directed the piece may reflect differently than yours but that is what is suppose to happen as each of us follow our own journey.

Let’s spark a conversation.

The other day I was asked how I find my inspiration.  So, even though I talk about this in my book, I told a story.

Three brushes were in a can talking to each other on who was the best artist.   One argued that it used the boldest colors, the next shouted “my canvases are the largest” and the other was sure it was the greatest because no one understood its work.  Suddenly a hand reached into the can and grabbed a brush. As the brush left the can it shouted “now let me show you why I’m the best!”

In my opinion, all artists are “brushes”. Inspiration does not begin with an “I”, but is passed though one into the art.  Like the brushes who each thought it was the best, not one of them considered that they were merely part of the equation. 

Now, I’m not diminishing education, history, or personal experiences. I am merely suggesting that, as an artist, I consider that we all are a thread in the fabric of a grand theme. You can read more about this in my book “Chaos On The Canvas – The Art of Hilario”.

I have a confession to make… recently I went through artist “block”.  I was shifting from one style to another, but nothing was evolving.  After struggling, I stopped and examined just what was happening.

For me, my work as an abstract artist evolves from an experienced emotion.  Before I start a new work the story, emotion and meaning to the work must be revealed to me before I can continue. Every once in a while my enthusiasm gets ahead of everything I need to experience.  What I had to do was find the relationship from one emotion to the other, like the climate changing from the mountaintop to the desert. Once I found that emotional shift, my creativity returned and new work emerged.

Take a look at some of my newest work and see what I mean.

Newcomers to the Sonoran Desert often lament that there is no season change, that the only difference is a cooler night in the winter. But, if you have lived and loved this desert as much as I have, the subtle changes are monumental. The white intense light of summer is replaced with a softer grayer hue. The lower arc of the sun casts shadows of purple, revealing the land in a whole new profile. The winter rains bring into bloom the yellows, whites and lavenders of the desert flowers. And a soft, vivid green blanket of grass covers the desert floor.

Winter in the desert fills me with emotion and renews my vision. The changing light influences the color palette that leaves my brush. I build a story around this season and the result I present in my work. Tell me what you think. Do you feel the light in this desert’s winter?

Today my wife and I attended the 2nd annual American Indian Music Fest held at the Casa Grande National Monument in south central Arizona. The event offered two days of music by incredible flautists representing Indian nations from all over the United States and Canada. The musicians played outdoors next to the “Big House” or Casa Grande ruins. It was an incredible venue and an incredible experience.

As I listened to the music I began to realize that the melodies painted a vision of image and color in my mind’s eye as if I could see what the music was feeling. My paintings can do much the same thing. The movement and frequency of paint stir an emotion of place and time. That which one has experienced can come back by just entering the atmosphere of a painting. 

Look at my art and see if it can find you in such a place.

What would you think if I called myself Sir Hilario, King of Art? It would be ridiculous because it means absolutely nothing. So why do some artists throw a name onto a finished piece of art without it belonging to the work? I find that a name or title expresses the feeling of authority of that which is presented. So the name given to a work of art should be coming from what it is being presented.

For me, art and title are one. My title doesn’t go to the piece of art, it comes from it. Before I start a painting or sculpture I begin with an idea and give it life by weaving it into a story or memory. It may be no more than a sentence or as long as a paragraph. From this my connection to the work reveals to me the feeling of its outcome.

Here’s my process. My thought into story, from the story I begin to feel what is needed to create the art. I let that feeling determine the process that reveals the abstract image. The abstract image is named before it is completed because the name comes from the art, not a name given to it. For my work, the title is a preface to the beholder to begin their relationship to the art. It is that first connection the artist and the beholder share.

So read each of the titles of my work and consider the relationship from title to artist to beholder. Then leave me a comment with your thoughts on this; I would like to know what you think.

My art is a conduit to connect your emotions and feelings to what you are observing. Let me explain, you, the beholder, completes the reason for the art to be art. It is always about the beholder not the artist. My artistic talent is second to the emotional stir that fills your heart when you observe my art. I’m not expecting everyone to accept my work, life isn’t like that. But what I will demand is to dig deep into your emotional locker and find truth to what we might share. Let my art do what it’s meant to do; stir the human connection that we all share.

So don’t start a question without first making it about you. Please don’t ask about my inspiration or what my favorite colors are until you open yourself to this conversation. Am I sounding arrogant?…it doesn’t matter. But think deeper; any conversation isn’t about me or my art, it’s about you.

Hilario working his studio.

You will eventually learn the simpler questions that may never come up while we are sharing an emotional connection. But, the atmosphere of my art will bring to the surface your memories and hidden emotions. Now, this may all seem like nonsense at first, but again, dig deeper. Talk to me through the art and let’s make it about you.

I send out my invitation to all to explore my entire website. Add yourself to the continuing exploration of understanding that you are part of the next question. See you in the word.