Earth and Chaos by Tom Hilborn

Canadian artist Tom Hilborn will be exhibiting his work from April 12 – May 1, 2010 at the Art Exchange at 274 Wortley Road, London, Ontario, Canada.  If you have any further questions, please call 519-434-0000 or fax 519-434-8226.

The opening reception will be held April 16, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

Art gallery hours are 10:00 – 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.  Saturday:  10:00 – 5:00 p.m.

For those interested in purchasing the artistic works of Tom Hilborn, you should visit the art gallery before they are all sold out.

You can visit the Art Exchange website at http://www.theartexchange.ca/

This piece of art is called Earth & Chaos.  Chaos which surrounds nature, the earth.

Classical Head No. 32 by Tom Hilborn

This painting is a study, one of many studies by Tom Hilborn called Classical Head No. 32.

This is contemplation with the beautiful arch of the next, like the studies by Michelangelo, blended, somewhat obscured by what seems to be nature, the trees, the woman’s head rising from the waters like Venus or Aphrodite.

This painting is one of the Saints from the Saints & Hards collection.

Dick Vance by Tom Hilborn

Now Dick Vance by Tom Hilborn is a painting that Tom gave to me.  I love the rhythm, the flowing colors in the painting of early American jazz musician Dick Vance.

Dick Vance was born in Cleveland in November, 1915 and died in 1985.  He was an American jazz trumpeter and arranger.

Somewhere along the way, I noticed that this painting of Dick Vance had images of animals and fish woven into its face.  Tom was not only close to the Saints of the Renaissance, the heroes of American rockabilly music, he is also close to nature.  If you look carefully into his paintings, you will see small images of animal life, flora and fauna and sometimes the night skies.

This artistic work of Tom’s has stayed upon my wall for many years.  I still enjoy the painting immensely.  There is always something new that I find in the painting.

Classical Head After Rafael by Tom Hilborn

This painting by Canadian artist Tom Hilborn once hung upon the wall of a little girl who is now a big girl named, Mikaela.

Mikaela was the most beautiful little girl, adored by Tom and me.

This work of art is called “Classical Head After Raphael,” named thus because it shows the influence of Raphael, an artist from the Renaissance,  in the paintings of Tom Hilborn.

This paint on canvas is done with beautiful blues, the eyes are hollow, I wonder why?

But there is something haunting, something sad in this painting of one of the Saints.  From the Saints & Hards collection, circa 2002.

This painting must be hanging on a wall in a room wherever beautiful Mikaela lives now.

Classical Study

Painted by Tom Hilborn, “Classical Head Study,” one of the “Saints” and a part of the Saints & Hards exhibit.  This painting is painted with acrylic on masonite board as the canvass.

In this painting you can view the influence of da Vinci, Rafael and the Renaissance on Tom’s works.

Buddy Bolden, better known as King Bolden in the Jazz world of New Orleans is a rather sombre painting by Tom Hilborn.

Buddy Bolden was born September 6,  1877.  Buddy had a rather sad life.  At the age of 30, he succumbed to schizophrenia and spent the rest of his life in a mental institution.  Apparently, there are no known recordings of his music, even though members of his band say that they did make a phonetic recording, but he survives in myth and legend. He died and was buried in an unmarked grave in a pauper’s cemetry – Holt’s Cemetary.  In 1998, Holt’s Cemetary erected a monument to his memory.

He is known as one of the most important figures in American jazz.

Music most famously associated with his band include:  “Careless Love”, “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It”, and  “Get Out of Here and Go Home”.

Perhaps this painting of Tom’s  reflects the mystery of originator of jazz , Buddy Bolden.  Although this is one of the Hards from the Saints & Hards collection, maybe Tom’s vision of Buddy is that of a Saint, a hero.

This colorful, joyous abstract painting of Bill Riley by Tom Hilborn draws in its audience by its playfulness and touch of humour.

Bill Riley was one of the original American rockabilly musicians, born October 5, 1933 in Arkansas.

This is a short history of his claim to rockabilly fame from Rockabilly.net.
In the 1950s, Bill Riley:

“…recorded Flying Saucer Rock and Roll which was his first hit record. Recording at Sun Studio’s in Memphis, Tennessee, Riley ended up backing up many of the performers who came through the door to do session work at Sun. His guitar and harmonica work was called into play for any performer without a band. Joining him during these sessions were Roland James and J.M. Van Eaton. These three formed a group called the Little Green Men the name drawn from Riley first hit.”

Source:  rockabilly.net

I’ve included a second painting by Tom Hilborn of Bill Riley in this posting which gives you another perspective into Tom’s artistic vision of this “Hard” from the Saints and Hards collection.  This is a darker view of Bill Riley.  If you wish to read more about Bill Riley, go check out the website:  Rockabilly.net, the ultimate source for rockabilly information.

I wish Bill Riley could see these works of art.  There ain’t no Saints here.