Biography
Jay B. Hall was born in Springfield, Illinois in 1963. Described by those who know him as a rare combination of left-brain-right-brain, Jay B. Hall could just as easily have pursued his major at Beloit College and ended up a geologist. Instead, what he calls his wanton Midwestern curiosity about the rest of the country led him to look up from the ground and explore his passions for architecture, politics, biology, music, archaeology, photography and metal. His ability to synthesize the sciences with the arts and incorporate his diverse passions into visual art has led to a wealth of self-discovery and a fascinating progression of work, including monoprints, mixed-media painting, constructions and whimsical kinetic sculptures. He derives his creative energy from experience, whether building houses in the White Mountains of New Hampshire or serving an apprenticeship to the master printer Robert Devoe, there is always something to be used in creation. “My basic creative ideal begins with a simple starting point, metaphorically, a structure, figure or phrase,” Jay explains, “then slowly, with the addition of color, texture and reflectance, I build a cluttered, but tight composition. The end result is merely a suggestion of three dimensions' hard edges...for me the creative process, as with all learning, is a series of incomplete exercises. I learn more by failure than by success.”
