Lillian Abel
These compositions suggest forms that are present and forms that are absent. Layers that hide and reveal. Out of disorder comes order, out of darkness comes light, out of time to present, from ignorance to enlightenment.
Artist Statement
The paintings are an exploration of the gap between abstraction and representation, made in the
studio, inspired by memories of the energy in nature. Abstracted by the pallet knife, hidden worlds and images reveal on the picture plane, uncovered, stroked, massaged, and moved onto the surface, brought up from hiding; surprising me with their ability to come forth when called by my hand. The recognized of our ‘world sight’ becomes unrecognizable, opening the eye of the witness to the fusion of brutal force and the tender delicacy of nature. Beginning from darkness, moving to find hidden worlds that lay just beyond the edge of our awareness, observing the unexplored knowledge of the unseen. When the scales of our eyes are lifted we are brought to the underlying entity.
Bio:
Lillian Abel lives and works in Los Angeles, California, has exhibited in New York City and Los Angeles as well as various venues across the United States. She has been exhibited internationally in Krakow, Poland, Phnom Penh and Battanbang, Cambodia. Her work is in various collections, including, Barry Zito, San Diego; Elinor Turner, Beverly Hills CA; Paul Lussier Company, Hollywood, CA; Ellie Blankfort, Los Angeles, CA; SRO Housing Corporation, Los Angeles, CA; Bob Crewe, Los Angeles CA; Xorin Balbes, Sowden House, Los Angeles, CA; Susan Camiel, The Bond House, San Diego, CA; The Walker Art Collection, Garnett, Kansas; Lawry Smith, Director, La MaMa Galleria, NY, NY; Elizabeth Hastings Peterfreund, NY, NY; Margaret Thomsen/Thomsen Gallery/Tappan NY and the Merrill G. & Emita E. Hastings Foundation, NYC.
Abel’s work has been published in the book “Our Ever Changing World: Through the Eyes of Artists, What are you Saving from Extinction?” by Karrie Ross, forward by Betty Brown, Be It Now, Inc., Oct. 2013; “Energy” 2011 Catalog, OCCCA, Howard Fox; the Los Angeles Art Association 2009 Catalog, Sammy Hoi, Juror; Art In Southern California (2009, Project Concept and Coordinator Irina D. Costache, Ph.D., Professor of Art History) "Insight/Inside LA" Exhibit, Jose Drudis-Biada Gallery at Mount Saint Mary’s College Curator: Jode Baral, CD Catalog; "Eleventh Annual Los Art Show - Five Centuries of Art", Exhibition Catalog, p. 117; "Streetwise art from skid row", by Susan Carpenter, Los Angeles Times Weekend Calendar, May 29, 2003, p. 12; MAC 21 Feria Internacional De Arte Contemporaneo (Marbella, Spain, 2002); Architecture & Business, December 2000 (Poland); Invited to publish in "California Artists Directory", October 1998; Alexandria Museum of Art, 1998 September Exhibition Catalog.
Her Public Art and Commissions include the Hawthorne Police Department in Hawthorne California, the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City and the Casino Aztar in Evansville Indiana.
Abel is the founder of The Art Workshop in downtown Skid Row, Los Angeles, whose mission is to mentor the Artists of the community. This Workshop is featured in the Documentary “Humble Beauty” by Letitia Schwartz & Judith Vogelsang “Humble Beauty” has been screened at many film festivals, and has been accepted to air on National Public Television. humblebeauty.com

Portfolio: