Among the major influences on the art of Tom Hilborn (Aug 13, 1956 – ) is a concept put forth by Herb Ariss and Bert Kloezman who taught Tom at Beal Art in London, Ontario in the mid 70s.  The idea is that by engaging in extended sessions of drawing exercise, one’s “battery” is thereby charged up.  In other words:  a motivational potential is generated by the amount of drawing done. Also benefiting from a good workout on the drawing board is that part of us that learns to bring more and more factors into a single focus – when drawing one part of say, a human figure, you want to learn to think of the other related parts and the background shapes at the same time. A polarity existing between the Italian High Renaissance and the American Rock ‘n Roll era is the main source of themes in Tom’s art.  This and any related ideas are set down and in various ways abandoned in favor of the feel that emerges. Sam Phillips is a man famous for wearing out that word “feel.”  “It’s the feel!” he repeated over and over to describe what he wanted to capture on recording tape.  This led to a major focus on his record company, Sun Records in Memphis , Tennessee , as a point from where the global escalation of Rock ‘n Roll emerged. About 450 years earlier in Florence, Italy (not to be confused with Florence, Alabama, where Sam is from), the Italian High Renaissance marked the infancy of the western world view, very different from the sense of American world domination that led to the Rock ‘n Roll era. This is what Tom has to say about his art.

Photo of Tom Hilborn by Janet Donnelly.

St. James the Greater After Leonardo

This artistic study of “St. James the Great After Leonardo” is much like another painting of Tom’s, also named with the same name, St. James the Great After Leonardo.

The drawings of Leonardo da Vinci were a great influence to Tom during the years when he focused on the classical Renaissance saints.

In this painting, the face of the saint is embedded in the moon, within the night sky.  Themes of nature and the world around us can be viewed in the painting and the theme of the circularity within life which emerges in recent years in his new art work can already be seen.

This is an acrylic painting on masonite board by Tom.

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.

Welcome to Canadian artist, Tom Hilborn‘s online art exhibit, “Saints and Hards”.

Two themes can be found in many of his works.  Renaissance figures and the faces of early American Rockabilly musicians share the canvas.  His drawing exercises are based upon the drawings of artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Tintoretto and Rafael, artists of the Renaissance.  A new style of art emerged in the 14th century,  one concerned with perspective, mathematical precision, an interest in the natural world and the rebirth of Classical Greek ideas and perfection.

It is these ideas of the Renaissance, a time during which the art and culture flourished in Europe that Tom uses in his paintings of “Saints”.  They represent to him a kind of order and perfection juxtaposed against “Chaos”. The “Chaos” is Rockabilly – the faces of early American rock icons, Tom’s other passion.  In these works, the holy Madonna’s face cradles against the face of Cowboy Copas, or say, Morris Deason.  The peaceful reflection found in the faces of the Saints contrast to the wild chaotic faces of the musicians.  His other passion, music, finds expression in performance with a band he belongs to called “The Black Holes” which play in small clubs around his hometown.  Thus, the “Hards”, a slang word for “tough guys” contrast with the beautiful faces of the Saints to create art which reflect Tom’s interests and life long passions of drawing and music.

Rockabilly is a style of American music born out of American notions of patriotism based on the outcomes of the first and second world wars.  This style of music evolved out of the context of American victories.  It is an expression of victory, a reflection of living in the most powerful nation in the world after the chaos of war.  In Tennessee, Carl Perkins was bragging that the atom bomb was born there.  Ironically, it is also the birthplace of Rockabilly.

Tom uses a variety of media in a single work, painting with acrylics on Masonite as canvas and building up texture with molding paste and grit for a three dimensional effect.