[Bill Hyer at the Colorado Springs Abstract opening reception, February 27, 2009. Photo by Mark Fletcher.]We had the great privilege of working with artist Bill Hyer on the Colorado Springs Abstract exhibition in 2009.
Bill said of his paintings, “My work is based on what I see inside as well as what I know lies beyond this world. When I start a painting, it is because a creative force within beckons me to action and expression and my mood is already present. Rather than beginning with a sketch, the process for each piece begins with a very clear view of what I am going to paint. I can see exactly what I am going to do - what colors I am going to use, where they go on the canvas, and the textures that they will create.”
Bill began painting late in life out of the most genuine kind of necessity. In his paintings, he sought to tap into elemental humanity and spirituality - a tradition in abstraction since Kandinsky, Malevich, Rothko, and Newman. Nevertheless, Bill believed that the essence of his paintings represented a “larger human experience” which came from within him rather than from artistic precedents. There are always hidden images in his paintings, which will continue to challenge viewers to locate individual faces and spiritual references throughout their compositions.
Bill was an extraordinarily passionate and generous person who believed that art could affect our spirit in the most the most affirmative ways. He will be missed.
[Bill Hyer (1936-2010), Exodus, 2006, Oil on canvas, 54 x 66 inches, Gift of the artist, FA2008.7]
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