Feel Good Art — Houstonian Jim Hill’s Cheerful Creativity Lifts Spirits In The Woodlands

Color, joy and motion fill the walls of The Woodlands Arts Council gallery, which is now home to a solo exhibition from Houston artist Jim N. Hill. Essence: People and Places features paintings curated by artist Annette Palmer and will be on view through August 7. Hill’s work combines acrylic, watercolor, collage and pencil. He’s known for his vibrant shapes and evocative sense of place.

“Everything is so bright, cheerful, happy, feel good and optimistic. It’s a real joy and treasure to have here,” Palmer says. “I love how he paints the faraway places, but there are also beautiful little moments — a favorite chair, fresh flowers. I look at his depiction of laundry on a clothesline and I can almost smell it.

“It’s those moments — the birds singing in the trees, the gardeners — that stay with you.” 

Hill describes himself as a “late bloomer” in art. Growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, he didn’t have art at his school.

“During my second year of college, I had my first art teacher. She was great,” Hill recalls. “She’d taught at Columbia, so she knew all the famous 1950s artists from around the world. I think she saw some potential in me. Maybe enough to believe that, with her help, I could become an artist someday. 

“So she helped me. That was back in 1962.”

Hill sold his first paintings in Houston in 1978.

“There was a little gallery that started selling my work,” Hill says. “They’d seen it at an outdoor flea market. I was selling pieces for $10 and $20. They said, ‘We like these. We have a gallery. Bring us more of your work.’ I brought them eight 5-by-8-inch pieces on paper.”

Finding Joy in Everyday Beauty

Hill finds inspiration in the beauty of everyday life and the places he’s visited.

“I look at photographs and magazines a lot, and I used to travel quite a bit,” Hill says. “Places like Venice, Florence and Santa Fe have given me a lot of ideas. I still visit Santa Fe sometimes. It’s very beautiful and always inspires me.”

TWAC board member Nancy Charbonneau spoke about Hill’s work at the exhibit opening.

“I’m excited to have Jim’s work as part of our collection,” she says. “His work brings joy. You can’t help but feel happy when you look at it. It evokes peace and serenity.”

Jim N. Hill’s “Essence: People and Places” is on view now through August 7 at The Woodlands Arts Council gallery. The gallery is located at 9450 Grogan’s Mill Road, Suite 160 and is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 1 pm to 4 pm. For more information, go here.