Billy Hoff
Medium: Painting
Location: Martha's Vineyard, MA
Billy Hoff was born in Princeton NJ, 1967. He received his BFA in 1991 from Ithaca College and his MFA in 1995 from the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. His lives and works on Martha’s Vineyard.
Artist Statement:
” I like short story fiction. If it is done well it can capture a brief moment in time. Something distinct: a smell, a light, or a feeling. A good writer can quickly sketch out a relationship that depicts a universal truth. It reminds us that we are all on the same ride and are really not that different from one another. Robert Stone, Joy Williams, Amy Hempel: These are some of my favorites that accomplish this.
I like to think of my paintings as stories. There is implied narrative. There are people, places, and things. If pressed I can explain and elaborate. It all makes perfect sense to me. Often the themes are grand: Love and loss, birth and death. And often they are not. But the imagery has been filtered through my own experiences and shaped by my exposure to literature, film and art.
I paint from my imagination. Its not practical. Things have to be revealed or discovered to feel ‘right’. Conscious invention runs the risk of feeling contrived or forced. Things go best when I get out of my own way. ”