Artist Per Hillo, or in more literal words “ the great dane “, and I met what feels like a century ago, in my home town, Copenhagen. We both had lots of rather eccentric life stories to share, especially after a one time experimental bet at Sankt Petri hotel, where he used to have his gallery, about who could tolerate the most Absinthe alcohol. (To those who yet do not know what Absinthe is, it is a form of alcohol that poets, writers and artists in general were known to drink in the 18th Century and forward, for heightened awareness and inspirational input.)
Hillo was not born an artist, though it is hard to believe; he actually ran a design company, where he drew and designed smaller accessories for homes, mainly selling to German interior boutiques, but which eventually drew him to the ground, in terms of stress. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment, having to distract his thoughts, finding something with which to pass the “still time”, and recover from the huge impact and life-altering situation he found himself in. He magically saw the light and learned from scratch to create his warm paintings that truly spring from the depth of his heart, with majestic colors and golden details, being the romantic that he is, showing and sharing love. This is so ingrained in his nature that it almost becomes a political message for communication in the name of love, and the saying “be a lover not a fighter“ comes to mind.
There is, without a doubt, a highly spiritual message in his paintings, and I am certain that by taking even a simple glance at the paintings, you will resonate with the message. I myself am a big fan of the incredible paintings in all sizes, with huge hearts, and my favorite colors: burgundy, blue, gold and turquoise. Hillo's work has spread to large regions of the world, from paintings in Cannes and Asia, to becoming a close friend of the royal palace in Denmark, providing them with his loving art. One of his projects is on the facade of the jewelry brand Pandora's boutique; another is a huge bronze sculpture for the queen of Denmark.
Per Hillo takes part in several charities and has written a series of poems that are displayed on his website. As he continues to develop and share his love for art-- literally shown in his paintings, he also does fashion shows, creating instant real time art on clothes to be worn at the fashion show minutes later, resulting in a more graffitied look.
One of the things that makes Hillo special is that he never creates pre-sketches before he starts painting, which is truly fascinating. If you find yourself wanting to visit Copenhagen, Denmark, you need to go visit Per Hillo's gallery in either Charlottenlund, Valby or Hellerup, and have a chat with the artist.
I assure you that you will find both Per with his background, and his lovable paintings, as anything but plain.
check out:
http://perhillo.com/shop/frontpage.html (with english version as well).
addresses:
Waterfront shopping center
Tuborg havnevej 4, 2900 Hellerup. opening: wed to fri 11 to 6 pm. sat 10 am to 3 pm.
Ordrupvej 55 A, 2920 Charlottenlund opening: wed to fri 11 am to 6 pm. sat 10 am to 3 pm.
Spinderiet, spinderi gade 4, 2500 Valby opening: wed to fri 11 am to 6 pm. sat 10 am to 3 pm.
