Hilarie Mais facts for kids

Hilarie Mais (born in 1952) is a talented artist from Britain and Australia. She is known for creating amazing abstract paintings and sculptures.

Early Life and Learning

Hilarie Mais was born in Leeds, a city in the United Kingdom, in 1952. She loved art from a young age. She started her art studies at the Jacob Kramer School of Art in 1969. After that, she continued her education at the Bradford School of Art from 1970 to 1971. She then went to the Winchester School of Art from 1971 to 1974. Finally, she studied at the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London from 1975 to 1977.

Her Artistic Journey

Hilarie Mais had her very first art show in 1977. This was a big step in her career. In 1981, she traveled to Australia. Since then, her artwork has been shown in important exhibitions. These include the Biennale of Sydney and the Australian Sculpture Triennial.

Mais's art has been inspired by different art movements. She was influenced by abstract art from the 1960s. This includes a style called English constructivism. Later, she was also inspired by American minimalism. This style features simple, clear forms, much like the work of artist Agnes Martin.

What Makes Her Art Special

Hilarie Mais often uses grid-like patterns in her artwork. She explores how to show abstract ideas visually. She likes to mix strict grid shapes with more natural, flowing forms. The geometric patterns in her art often repeat and grow outwards. Mais says this is like how things grow in nature.

She creates all her artworks by herself. She does not use assistants or outside help. Her sculptures are very detailed. They often have hundreds of tiny screws holding each part together. She also uses color to make these details stand out. For example, her piece Nomad (created between 2006 and 2012) used many small parts in different colors. These parts came together to create a beautiful spectrum of colors.

In recent years, Hilarie Mais has also started to experiment. She has been making designs using waste plastic. This shows her creativity and interest in new materials.

Her Life Outside Art

Hilarie Mais has lived and worked in several places. These include Sydney, Australia, New York City in the United States, and the United Kingdom. She was married to William Wright, who was also an artist and a curator. A curator is someone who organizes art exhibitions. William Wright passed away in 2014.

Together, Hilarie and William started an important art gallery. It was called Mais Wright and was located in East Sydney. Hilarie Mais continues to run this gallery today.

A painting of Hilarie Mais was created by the artist John Beard. This portrait was chosen as a finalist for the Archibald Prize in 2005. The Archibald Prize is a very famous art award in Australia for portraits.