Hilary Christensen

I am a painter, goodwill enthusiast, and mother of 2 boys. About 15 years ago I decided to “paint” with abandoned bits of plastic.

It all started harmlessly enough, my youngest broke toys as quickly as he picked them out. So, I started a drawer of his destruction, determined to repair some of the carnage. Legos left strewn about were soon added. Then dice and game pieces that didn't make their way back to the proper box. Before you know it, I'm hoarding bread tabs and picking up broken hanger tags in the Target parking lot. The thing about these little bits is that they aren’t recyclable. Goodwill doesn’t put small pieces out in their retail stores, so all these little bits have no where to go. I love giving a second use to something that would have ended up in the landfill. I love working with random shapes and colors and figuring out how to fit them together into an image altogether new and different.

I received my BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. My family and I moved back to my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin around 5 years ago. We've lived here several times over the years, but we are rather nomadic and have lived in Canada, California, Georgia, Utah, Texas, and New York.