2022 Scholarship Awardee

Adrienne Hill

I am a 24 year old queer Black Texan. I majored in Sociology with an art minor and a minor in printmaking. I consider myself a multifaceted person. I have multiple hobbies and currently work in retail full time. I'm a drag enthusiast/performer, a human rights advocate, and an artist. Creating art is one of my top passions, one of the great things about printmaking is that there are so many different approaches so I never tire of the art form.

My art is inspired by several movements; neo-expressionism, fauvism, and post-impressionism. I've had the privilege of attending demos/classes by various artists such as Melanie Yazzie, Jeffery Dell, Carlos Hernandez, and Catherine Prose. I learned applicable and valuable printmaking skills from them and continue to find artists to gain knowledge from. My main subject matters are self portraiture, and non-representational. I lean towards self portraiture for two main reasons; people who are marginalized like me (queer, Black, women-alligned) aren't showcased in media often and my veiw of myself is constantly changing making for distinct imagery. In my works I play with colors, experiment with textures, and use various mediums.

Monotypes are my favorite form of printmaking. I love taking a piece and reworking it. Using a monotype as the foundation for a piece opens up multiple possibilities. I take an investigational approach with my prints. There’s so many different ways to tackle the same composition. One of my exploratory processes included screen printing carborundum gel onto a plexiglass to make a relief plate. I've turned prints into mixed media paintings, hand sewn tote bags, and clothing.