Such Things Were

Bill was a WWII veteran. Army Air Corps.  Pacific Theater.  345th Bomb Group.  499th Squadron, Bats Outa Hell.  Navigator and Bombardier.

November 1985 San Antonio, TX
499th Squadron Reunion

Although his poem, Such Things Were, was written as a memorial to those he served with in WWII, the sentiment applies to all who have served and those men and women who serve today.  In honor of Veteran's Day 2011, you may repost this poem in its entirety with attribution and the copyright notice.

SUCH THINGS WERE
William Charles Hilton

Graced with youth and foolish questions,
He asked, "What was it like there?"
"It was a long time ago," I said, but
I knew what he wanted; a story
Of ancient fire and the faded snarl
Of a B-25 lugging a bellyful of iron
Over the endless and patient water;
A story of ships and cities destroyed
And gallant planes returning in the dusk.
"Were they brave?" he asked, but I
Could give to him no proper answer;
He wanted a scene from a movie;
Strutting actors, sneering at their fate
Flying down the barrels of alien guns,
Dying with a brilliant, brittle speech
Of duty and honor.  Oh, there was
Enough of both, but I had never heard
Anyone speak of them.  They were carried
Quietly; worn in silent assurance and
I knew that they belonged to those who wore them.
"I don't remember anymore," I said.
"But what were they like?" he whined.
"They were men!" I said, "and I
Shall not in this life see their like again."

(c) 1986 William C. Hilton
(c)  2001 Anne Marie Hilton Turner

Reflections . . . Outsider Art?

You might call Bill Hilton's work "Outsider Art."
Also known as Art Brut, Visionary Art, or Intuitive Art - each with their own specifics and subtleties of definition, Outsider Art refers broadly to art created by people who are not trained as fine artists and may be self-taught; work outside of established art channels such as schools, museums, and galleries; and may belong to one or more marginalized populations such as persons affected by incarceration or mental illness.  But these labels are not definitive and prompt much disussion in the art world.

Reflection 18" x 24"
c. 1988
Collection of M. Staley

Bill was not trained as a painter or visual artist.  His work was self taught.  He enjoyed experimenting with a variety of materials and techniques.

Although he was well educated and did sell some of his paintings, he did not work within the formal structure of art galleries or museums.

He was not a folk artist, nor a member of a marginalized group of people.

In the broadest sense, Outsider Art is the label that applies to Bill's personal
form of intaglio painting.   

Many of the 300+ works in this series are modern abstracts.  However, simple representational pieces such as Reflections and Barn and Silo which appear in this post punctuate the collection.  About half of Bill's later life series of paintings were sold, gifted, or traded.  The remainder are in Anne Marie's possession (or belong to Bill's grandchildren).  Some will become available for sale later this year. 

Barn and Silo - 15" x 24"


More About Outsider Art
For more visuals and discussion of Outsider Art, you may want to consult Raw Vision magazine,  Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, or the American Visionary Art Museum as well as searching the various labels (visionary, intuitive, folk, or art brut).



The links to the right include a number of respected private galleries or collections specializing in Outsider / Folk / Intuititive / Visionary / Art Brut artists (Yard Dog, Webb Art Gallery, Barbara Archer Gallery, Judy A. Saslow Gallery,  and The Anthony Petullo Collection).

Life of Shape

GOALIE  48" x 48"          Photography by Jim Lincoln

William Charles "Bill" Hilton stripped away the slick, white plane of melamine board with carving tools, allowing textured images of shape and line to emerge.
He then colored the rough surfaces with acrylics to craft an unusual form of intaglio painting.  The result is a series of abstract, simple representational, and nonobjective pieces influenced by artistic and social themes of the twentieth century.
Bill Hilton (1921 - 2000) embraced an active and creative life as an educator and artist.
The approximately 300 paintings in Hilton's late series of work span a short period of time (1986 - 1989) and reflect his gusto for a life lived for the arts.  Hilton taught English, American Studies, and Humanities at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.  His work appears in private collections throughout the United States.