Lisa Hilton
Sculpture

Juried Member
Humanity consists of billions of individuals each with unique combinations of characteristics, personalities, talents, virtues, motivations, spiritualties, anxieties, and fears. Added to these innate qualities are particular familial, educational, and cultural influences and experiences. As each person’s life progresses, these factors combine creating his/her unique life story.
It is the individual and his/her story that intrigues and fascinates me, providing inspiration for my work. I may start working with a notion of context for a sculpture. However, I am more interested in the observer's interpretation, because it is based on his/her unique perceptions and experiences. The intersection of our individuality as viewer and artist yields a collaborative and exclusive story for each piece.
My figures are sculpted in clay with an emphasis on gesture and texture. One of the alluring ideas of working with the human form is the impact that gesture has on a viewer’s perception. The slightest tilt of the head, drop of the shoulder, angle of the hand, or tilt of a hip may create different implications for different observers. Finding new and different methods to create texture is another exciting part of sculpting for me. Surface variation and texture are expressive avenues for depicting the layers of complexity inherent in every person and provide an additional means for the viewer to add context.
Lisa Hilton is a St. Louis native earning a BS in Actuarial Science in 1988 from Maryville University. After various stints in insurance, consulting, volunteering, real estate and management, she returned to Maryville and earned her BFA in 2013. Her family includes her husband and two grown children. Gesture and texture are the focus of her clay and porcelain sculpture.