Hilary McCarthy is a contemporary figurative painter living in Laguna Beach. She is currently adjunct faculty in the Fine Arts Department at Laguna College of Art + Design. Prior to that she lived in NYC for 18 years. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in the United States and Europe. She received her BFA from Hartford Art School and her MFA from New York Academy of Art. She also attended The Art Students League and Columbia University. She has attended art residencies in Puglia, Italy; Victoria, Australia; Leipzig, Germany, and Johnston, Vermont. She received the Fostering Creativity in a Time of Crisis Grant in 2020 from the Laguna Beach Community Foundation.
“My paintings aspire to embody visual poetry drawn from the realms of dreams and the subconscious. In my recent creations, the ocean emerges as a profound muse, offering healing that transcends both physical and emotional realms. It predates our existence, possessing a wisdom surpassing our own. We depend on it more than it relies on us. The resplendent beauty of the ocean serves as a perpetual wellspring of inspiration for me. The women depicted in the forefront grapple with the intricate nuances of the human experience, navigating its tangled complexities. Meanwhile, in the background, the ocean unfurls as an expansive, rhythmic tapestry. The narrative within the painting explores the dynamic interplay between these two elements.”