Hilary Herrmann
For me, painting is storytelling, communication between myself and the world. Far, Far Away is inspired by the magic, historical weight and universality of fairytales. For these works, fairytales marked a starting point to be hybridised into my own language. My works hold these tight tales of morality at their centre, and spiral from there. I find the gossamer slippage between worlds, where these pervasive tales can comment upon my private world. A collision of domains where boundaries of good and evil and of right from wrong are harder to discern.
Fairytales compel us and transport us into imaginary realms. They take us along winding roads, into dark woods, to castles, to distant seas, through boundless skies. There are witches, goblins, kings and queens, baying beasts. Magical worlds, filled with heroics and cowardice, metamorphosis, problem solving, fear of the unknown, greed, humility, empathy, kindness. The invisible and the forgotten are throned and crowned, the humble are rewarded with wealth and happiness, evil is stymied by virtue. Yet, the menace of evil lurks, threaded into the storytelling; envy, malice and lust bubbling beneath the surface.
Fairytales have been interpreted and reinterpreted endlessly. This is my interpretation. Scanning over reading of feminism to psychoanalysis to childhood memories, I find gentleness and ethereality amongst bloodlust. Fairytales are a compelling source of rich, diverse material; they intrigue us, entertain us, comfort us to sleep, scare us to check under our beds. They offer a visual palette that is full of enchantment and menace; an inexplicable and enthralling combination which resounds with my own storytelling and allows me voice for communication.
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45 x 45cm Oil on Canvas $2000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
45 x 45cm Oil on Canvas $2000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
45 x 45cm Oil on Canvas $2000
45 x 45cm Oil on Canvas $2000
45 x 45cm Oil on Canvas $2000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
75 x 75cm Oil on Canvas $3000
122 x 101cm Oil on Canvas $3800
120 x 90cm Oil on Canvas $3500
122 x 101cm Oil on Canvas $3800
Biography
I live on a rural property in the hinterland of Byron Bay, surrounded by beautiful countryside; the landscape is lush and evergreen, amongst undulating hills.
There is a network of community and friends, which are a wonderful mixture of miscreants and misfits. They colour my world. My teenage daughter reminds me of a character out of a Gabrielle Garcia Marquez’ novel and I often feel the need to stop her from floating into the skies. There is a Brahman bull, Angus cattle, neurotic dogs, bad tempered ducks and a forgotten garden, a sad and lonely chook yard, one too many battles with the crafty foxes. All on the to do list.
I like to paint. Stepping over the cobwebs and chewed up dog bones, I paint on my verandah looking out at this curious world.
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Curriculum Vitae
1978- Bachelor of Teaching degree
1983 -87- Paper Conservator Art Gallery NSW, Australia
2003- Fine Art Degree, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW
2006- TAFE Lismore, Certificate 2
2007- TAFE Lismore, Certificate 3
Solo Exhibitions
2008- Creatures, Cape Gallery Byron Bay Australia
2008- 16 angels around my bed, Art Piece Gallery, Mullumbimby NSW Australia
2010- Unwanted Embrace, Sheahan Gallery, Woollongong
2010- Before I Sleep, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery, Coffs Harbour Australia
2013- Thoughts away from home, Gillian Grant gallery, Melbourne
2013 Celebrations, Art piece Gallery, Mullumbimby
2014 Ballina Regional gallery, Of other realms, Ballina
2014 Gallery 307 In the absence of certainty
2016 Lismore Regional gallery The Voyage
2016 Flowers Ballina Regional gallery
2017 nostalgic dialogue Art piece Gallery
Group Exhibitions
2006- Emerging Artists, Artpiece Gallery, Mullumbimby
2006- Coraki art prize, Platypus Gallery, Casino
2006- Waywood Gallery, Byron Bay
2007- Artpiece Gallery, Mullumbimby
2007- Berkelow Gallery, Eumundi
2007- Barratt Gallery, Astonville
2007- The Cape Gallery, Byron Bay
2008- Language of the Unspoken, Barratt Gallery Astonville
2008- Shubert Gallery, Gold coast
2009- Celebration, Artpiece Gallery, Mullumbimby
2010- Portrait prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2010- Once Upon A Time, Retrospect Gallery, Byron Bay
2010- Art Sydney Affordable Art Fair, Sydney
2010- Christmas Show, Edwina Collette Gallery, Brisbane
2010- Chrismas Show, Gallery 307, Sydney
2011- Drawn Forth, Retrospect Gallery Byron Bay
2011- Dirt Road Blues, Retrospect Gallery Byron Bay
2011- Art Melbourne, Retrospect Gallery Byron Bay
2011- Selected Portrait, Lismore Regional Art Gallery, Lismore
2011- Ground Cover, Gilligan Grant. Melbourne
2011- Drawn Together, Retrospect Gallery Byron Bay
2011- Art Singapore, Retrospect Galley, Byron Bay
2011- Christmas show, Edwina Collette Gallery, Brisbane
2012- Drawn forth, Lismore Regional Gallery, Lismore
2013Christmas show Retrospect Gallery ,Byron Bay
2013- Art for Children’s Spaces, Gallery 307, Sydney
2014Christmas show Retrospect Gallery ,Byron Bay
2015Christmas show Retrospect Gallery ,Byron Bay
2015 Garden show Art piece Gallery ,Mullumbimby
2015Art ShowArt Space, Newrybah
2016 Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Retrospect Gallery Byron Bay
2016 Ballina Airport
Awards
2007- Highly commended Coraki Art Award
2007- Second Prize Southern Cross Art Award
2009- Blake finalist, Director’s Cut
2008- Finalist Portia Geach Memorial Award S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney Australia
2010- Winner Postcard Exhibition, Mullumbimby, NSW Australia
2012- Finalist Wilson Visual Art Award, Lismore NSW Australia
2012- Finalist Portia Geach Memorial Award S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney Australia
2012- Finalist Heartbeat, Ballina Regional galley
2012- Finalist Portrait prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2013- Finalist Portrait prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2015 Finalist Portrait prize, Lismore Regional Gallery
2015 ,1st painting Coraki Art show
2017 finalist, Manning Art Prize