Hilary Pecis

Hilary Pecis is an American painter based in Los Angeles, born in Fullerton, California in 1979. Being a California Native, Pecis takes inspiration from the West Coast state both in the subject matter of quotidian Californian scenes and her techniques brimming with jubilant hues and sumptuous brushstrokes, almost blurring into colorful abstraction upon closer inspection. Her landscapes, still lifes, and interior paintings are at once familiar and vivacious, suffused with a magical, intimate quality that immediately enthralls the viewer.

Pecis often draws from life, often taking photographs using her mobile camera that she later reorganizes into a composition suitable for her acrylics. Her works often feature recognizable cues—roadside signboards, bookshelves, famous posters—that act as a gateway for viewers to take themselves deeper into the world that Pecis has captured. Considering interiors and still lifes as a way to put someone’s aspirations on display, she approaches her practice with an attentive and earnest perspective that makes us reconsider the topography of daily life.

Her paintings and their characteristic exuberance are undoubtedly evocative of her diverse interests and influences, ranging from Fauvists like Henri Matisse to German Expressionists such as Gabriele Münter and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and even California Funk and Pop art in their vibrant response to abstraction. With judiciously placed brushstrokes, Pecis’ canvasses explores the capabilities of color in the pictorial space and presents a quotidian yet magical slice of life.

Hilary Pecis’ vibrant paintings have elevated her career to international distinction. Further testament to the soaring interest surrounding her practice, Pecis has found her works collected by prominent institutions such as the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; the Palm Springs Art Museum; the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She has also been the subject of solo exhibitions at institutions such as the TAG Art Museum, Qingdao and Rockefeller Center, New York while also participating in group shows including The Interior Life: Recent Acquisitions at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. or 13 Women: Variation I at the Orange Country Museum of Art.