Bryan Borland

Seth Ruggles Hiler, who painted “Aaron,” the portrait on the front cover of My Life as Adam, is the next big thing. I mean, I guess that’s what you call someone who’s listed in the Metro section of New York Times, right? Check out this press release about Seth and the New Jersey Emerging Artist Series. I know I’ve got peeps in Joisey and the surrounding areas. Go show Seth some love, but not too much. I want him to do the cover for my next book and I can’t have his price skyrocketing. 

LINCROFT, NJ – The New Jersey Emerging Artist Series at the Monmouth Museum continues this summer with an exhibition of colorful and dynamic portraits by artist Seth Ruggles Hiler, a resident of Boonton, NJ. His subjects include friends and family, and his goal in each work is to express both the likeness and also his emotional connection with each subject.

He states, “I am passionate about creating and recording connections to other people through portraiture. The challenge of translating the human face and figure from life and digital photography to canvas intrigues me. My ‘Twenty-Something Series’ is made up of oil and acrylic paintings of men in their twenties. I choose my subjects from the people who contribute to my own history, whether they are family, friends or members of my extended community.”

He continues, “In my work I combine my drive for expression with the knowledge gained from my training. The result is a classical sensibility with a contemporary understanding of color and composition. I illuminate my canvas with dynamic marks of tone and pigment, recording my view of person and place. Yet each painting goes beyond creating likeness or surface description to expressing a momentary relationship to my subject, informed by a collection of past xperiences. Ultimately, the main goal of viewing the final work is to share that intimate exchange.”

Gallery Talk – Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 7 to 8:00 pm

Seth Ruggles Hiler will share insights on his work in a discussion at the Museum. Opening Reception & Gallery Talk are free and open to public.

The New Jersey Emerging Artists Series at the Monmouth Museum features six exhibitions held each year and provides a unique and exciting opportunity for New Jersey artists to showcase their work. The artists selected for this series represent the diversity of talent in the State and demonstrate their creativity in a wide variety of media, including drawing, painting, watercolor, pastel, handmade paper, collage, photography, mobile art, clay, mixed-media sculpture and glass art. Gallery talks scheduled during the exhibitions offer artists the opportunity to share insights on their work.

For more Seth, get your hands on Ganymede Unfinished, a forthcoming release from Sibling Rivalry Press.