Bill Hall

“Contrary to a lot of minimalist art, I am not reaching for pure abstraction. Instead, I pose questions about reality with contrasts, random design, movement, and ambiguities. In my work, flat shapes move in or out of the picture plane. Surfaces are stained and scarred, as if seen from a topographical viewpoint. I often use grids to establish order, then employ random means, like the throw of dice, to bring tension and disorder. Black color shapes next to light, subtle colors create ambiguities between object and space. While not depicting observable reality, my work questions what is real.

“For many years, my chosen art medium has been intaglio printmaking, specifically aquatint etching. I fell in love with its processes, the tools and materials and the wonderful qualities of paper. My more recent work combines etching with an old love for collage.” — Bill Hall

Born and raised in rural Alabama, Bill Hall was an illustrator in the Air Force before receiving his BFA degree in studio art from the University of Alabama in 1973. He earned a dual MFA degree in painting and printmaking from the University of Texas in 1976, and taught at Galveston College in Texas. In 1982, Bill moved to New York and began his career as a collaborating printer at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. Four years later, he established his own print studio, NYLE Press, before joining Pace Editions in 1988. As a master intaglio printer at Pace for almost thirty years, he collaborated on hundreds of print editions and worked with many well-known artists, including Helen Frankenthaler, Jim Dine, Chuck Close, Mary Heilmann, Robert Mangold, and James Turrell.

In the fall of 2009, the Penland School of Crafts invited Bill to be their master printer for the winter residency. This experience kick-started his own art making and he began working more on his own prints after hours and weekends in the Pace shop.

Submitted by Momentum Gallery