Sandy Hill

Sandy Hill’s mixed media practice merges abstract painting with original photography to create allegorical, mythical worlds—parallel realities that exist just beyond the veil of the familiar. Within these dreamlike landscapes, fantastical creatures and symbolic imagery emerge, born of imagination yet rooted in shared human experience. Each piece tells a story, evoking a spectrum of emotions—joy, sorrow, fear, confidence, power, surprise, and whimsy—inviting viewers to enter a space where the extraordinary and the deeply personal converge. Hill’s process begins with an intuitive exploration of surface, using acrylic paints, markers, drywall mud, and a variety of unconventional tools to build richly layered backgrounds. Once a dynamic surface has taken shape, it serves as the inspiration for the theme and imagery that follow. Drawing from a personal archive of nearly 90,000 photographs, Hill carefully selects, sizes, adjusts, and prints images, which are then hand-cut and composed into intricate scenes. The imagery is then meticulously adhered and varnished, unifying the work into a cohesive whole. Hill’s passion for the outdoors: hiking, climbing, paddle boarding and camping, provides endless inspiration for her work. Most of the photographs incorporated into her work originate from these outdoor adventures. Sandy frequently juxtaposes elements of nature with industrial or mechanical imagery, underscoring the effects of industrial society on her beloved natural world.

Sandy Hill is a mixed media artist based in Corrales, New Mexico. She has been doing “collage” for over 40 years, albeit in the parallel universe of design. She received a BFA from the University of Arkansas in graphic design, followed by a long career creating award-winning concepts and imagery for the commercial world while running a small, respected design studio. Now, as a “recovering graphic designer”, Sandy has redirected her skillset toward the wide world of fine art. Her work has been selected for multiple juried shows and is in homes of private collectors throughout New Mexico and the U.S.

2-D, Collage/Mixed Media, Painting (all materials), Photography