Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary Lockerman.
Hi Hillary, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I was always drawing, always creating. I once got into trouble by allegedly drawing on the walls with my brother (I was too young to remember this, but my mother loves to tell the story!). In 1984, I was born into a biracial family and raised in the Midwest. My family moved around the Midwest a couple times in my childhood, so I’m familiar with being the new kid. Of course, it’s not always easy being the new kid—trying to figure out where to fit in. I often felt like an outsider; I was constantly observing the people around me and trying to figure out how to assimilate. I became a people-pleaser, and I found that I made more friends by creating art for them. Art had become a way to express, a way to escape, and now a way to connect with people. I was always the shy and quiet kid because I never felt I communicated very well verbally, but art became my language.
I was always drawing, always creating. I once got into trouble by allegedly drawing on the walls with my brother (I was too young to remember this, but my mother loves to tell the story!). In 1984, I was born into a biracial family and raised in the Midwest. My family moved around the Midwest a couple times in my childhood, so I’m familiar with being the new kid. Of course, it’s not always easy being the new kid—trying to figure out where to fit in. I often felt like an outsider; I was constantly observing the people around me and trying to figure out how to assimilate. I became a people-pleaser, and I found that I made more friends by creating art for them. Art had become a way to express, a way to escape, and now a way to connect with people. I was always the shy and quiet kid because I never felt I communicated very well verbally, but art became my language.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Anxiety and depression are challenging for anyone to face, and I didn’t realize how much it can affect my art and productivity. I was finding a blank white canvas to be incredibly daunting. Someone encouraged me to look into meditation because it changed their outlook on life. Practicing meditation and mindfulness has become a game-changer. I now look at a blank canvas with more of a beginner’s mind—this idea of approaching something with a sense of wonder and not necessarily thinking about the outcome. It’s much more freeing and forgiving. I’m more present in the moment and not overthinking mixing colors and my paint application—just letting loose and having fun exploring! I still have my challenging days, but I do my best to keep going. One of my favorite professors taught us a valuable lesson—that when you’re painting to always keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. Because if you stop for too long while in the act, you begin to overthink. It’s when you’re constantly moving that you’re figuring things out as you’re going along (kind of like improv), and you start to trust yourself. You create this artistic flow, and it’s incredibly exhilarating when you get to that state of mind!
Anxiety and depression are challenging for anyone to face, and I didn’t realize how much it can affect my art and productivity. I was finding a blank white canvas to be incredibly daunting. Someone encouraged me to look into meditation because it changed their outlook on life. Practicing meditation and mindfulness has become a game-changer. I now look at a blank canvas with more of a beginner’s mind—this idea of approaching something with a sense of wonder and not necessarily thinking about the outcome. It’s much more freeing and forgiving. I’m more present in the moment and not overthinking mixing colors and my paint application—just letting loose and having fun exploring! I still have my challenging days, but I do my best to keep going. One of my favorite professors taught us a valuable lesson—that when you’re painting to always keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. Because if you stop for too long while in the act, you begin to overthink. It’s when you’re constantly moving that you’re figuring things out as you’re going along (kind of like improv), and you start to trust yourself. You create this artistic flow, and it’s incredibly exhilarating when you get to that state of mind!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I graduated from art school with a BFA. I’m primarily a painter—I specialize in portraiture, but I also have a passion for painting clouds (though I think I’m most known for my portraits). Lately, I prefer collaborating with clients on personal commissions because I take pleasure in creating something that is especially meaningful to them. I paint with a lot of thin layers of color, and I like to allow the layers to shine through. This can create a distressed look to the painting, and I value the imperfections that come with it. These specks of color from underlying layers pop out and have an interesting interaction with the top layers of color. I feel that I am able to create more dimension with the numerous layers of color, and it also adds an energy to the subject matter.
I graduated from art school with a BFA. I’m primarily a painter—I specialize in portraiture, but I also have a passion for painting clouds (though I think I’m most known for my portraits). Lately, I prefer collaborating with clients on personal commissions because I take pleasure in creating something that is especially meaningful to them. I paint with a lot of thin layers of color, and I like to allow the layers to shine through. This can create a distressed look to the painting, and I value the imperfections that come with it. These specks of color from underlying layers pop out and have an interesting interaction with the top layers of color. I feel that I am able to create more dimension with the numerous layers of color, and it also adds an energy to the subject matter.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
During the shutdown, I explored live figure drawing via Zoom thanks to a local art gallery. It was challenging at first to draw a live subject from a two-dimensional computer screen, but it was an interesting learning experience. To continue my practice, I would paint from old photos of some creatives I most admired. I’m drawn to painting rockstars and comedians because of how instantaneous their creative work seems to connect with people. With any subject I focus on, I do my research by reading biographies and sifting through a ton of resources. I enjoy learning about what makes people real—their day-to-day activities, the adversities these people have had to overcome, and the challenges they faced to create their art. I feel the more that I know about the subject, the better the painting becomes. This method of painting along with the pandemic itself has taught me to be more compassionate and to have more patience with myself and those around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hemlockerstudio.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hemlocker_studio/
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