Elvis Presley No. 15 by Tom Hilborn
Abstract painting of one of the greatest American singers and legends, Elvis Presley. Elvis No. 15 painting by Tom Hilborn, from the Saints & Hards art collection.
Painting shows the singer Elvis and in the background, nature, the world and the heavens.
Painting – acrylic oil on masonite board as the canvas.
Firefly by Tom Hilborn
Through an observation of the natural world around him, Tom occasionally paints visions of the natural world. This abstract painting of Tom Hilborn shows a firefly.
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.”
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.
A landscape painting of “The Countryside” by Tom Hilborn. This is Tom’s vision of the countryside around London, Ontario, Canada.
This abstract painting shows a view across a river, the blue sky littered with its white clouds, the forest and rock formations along the river.
Closer to the river, we imagine the land dissected in a cross section, a dead fish perhaps, buried on its way through history to becoming a fossil for future generations to find.
It is not only the saints of heaven and the hards of American rockabilly, but also nature which holds a fascination for Tom, a fascination which is found in so many of his paintings throughout his life.
