| Self-taught artists are handicapped in as much as they did not have formal training, the guidance, and the contacts that academically taught artists have had. They are coming from a very different place. The “outsider” term covers a lot of different styles, from folk art to gritty urban graffiti. My work is mostly purely abstract and non-confrontational, I guess the closest term to it would be "visionary. I started in the mid 70s while I was vagabonding on the West Coast. I did mostly watercolors then and eventually progressed to working in oils. My paintings started out small, about 9 x 12 [inches], and slowly grew larger in size up to 28 x 32 [inches]. | 
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James Hilger talks to Ben Hotchkiss.
JH: Do you think there should be a distinction between “outsider art” and the rest of the art world?
BH: Yes I do. Self-taught artists are handicapped in as much as they did not have formal training, the guidance, and the contacts that academically taught artists have had. They are coming from a very different place. The “outsider” term covers a lot of different styles, from folk art to gritty urban graffiti. My work is mostly purely abstract and non-confrontational, I guess the closest term to it would be "visionary."JH: How many years have you been painting?
BH: Off and on for 30 plus years. I started in the mid 70s while I was vagabonding on the West Coast. I did mostly watercolors then and eventually progressed to working in oils. My paintings started out small, about 9 x 12 [inches], and slowly grew larger in size up to 28 x 32 [inches].JH: What about these shapes and forms intrigues you, as say compared to a nice vase of daffodils?
BH: The two are not mutually exclusive in my mind. I am intrigued by all sorts of visual aspects that I see in the visual realms of everyday life. I do a lot of photographing as well. But I discovered early on that shapes and forms are not exclusive to external reality. I can create my own shapes. I have filled notebooks with shapes that I have thought up, most of which have never made it into my paintings. I have long felt that a lot of them would have great application in fabric, wallpaper, or tile design. Shapes are fundamental components of the visual world, and because part of my painting procedure involves visual notes; notes about shapes are apart of that procedure. I even create formats for kinds of shapes, i.e. kinds of curvilinear shapes versus kinds of rectangular shapes.JH: Name a few items that are dear to you, please.
BH: I love my four cats as a starter. I love what I perceive to be good music. I love really good travelogues. I love what I perceive to be good food. I love good movies. I love really good architecture. I love really good photos. I love my professional sports teams.JH: I know a guy in Taiwan that wants to make silk ties using patterns from your paintings. Are you interested?
BH: I am open to all design applications for my paintings as a secondary area of pursuit–from posters and prints to textiles and ceramics. I think some of my paintings would make interesting tapestries, and others would be great for "designer art" tiles.
JH: What is the greatest thing painting has brought you?
BH: A great pastime. A method for self-expression that is unique to me and my creative moods at different stages in time. A visual record of my evolution as an artist. The recent interest in my paintings has helped to validate my efforts and given me a chance to share my work with people who appreciate it.
