Hi Hillary. I came across your work while surfing the internet. Of course your paintings appealed to me, not only because African hairstyles fascinate me anyway, but also because your paintings are so beautiful and diverse: from different African countries from different decades.
First of all, would you like to tell us something about yourself?
I am a painter, photographer and art teacher. I have lived everywhere; New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Florence, San Francisco, you name it. As an artist I am constantly trying new things. My inspiration comes from my fascination with other cultures, countries and history.
1. Coiffure of a married woman with Iipando and Oshikoma: Kwaluudi & Ngandjera, South Africa.
2. Aboney style, Dahomey from the cult of “Vodusi”.
2. The Afro. An American cultural phenomenon of 1960–1970.
How and when did you get interested in painting hairstyles? Why did you choose African hairstyles?
Probably because I hardly pay any attention to my hair. That is why I became so fascinated by the hairstyles of African American women all over the United States. I became curious when I saw a woman with a very chic hairstyle, while she was just wearing jeans and sneakers. To me, the hairstyles I saw were for formal occasions, but the women wore them as everyday styles. When they also told me that it could take hours and sometimes days to make the hairstyles, I was incredibly surprised. That was the reason why I wanted to research the whole hair thing. The more I discovered, the more fascinated I became by the world of African costumes. After photographing women in New York, Washington DC and San Francisco, I decided to research the history of African styles. That led to a series of oil paintings and more recently a children's book.
Have you held an exhibition and what was the response?
My paintings and photographs have been exhibited in San Francisco at the San Francisco African American Cultural Society and Museum building. The response has been very positive!
You are fascinated by African hairstyles? Do you ever wear an African hairstyle yourself?
No, I don't have the hair type for it. A haircut like that won't stay on me.
Well this interview is for a hair website so I have to continue with hair questions. Do you have a special bond with hair? Have you ever permed or colored your hair?
I don’t have the patience to maintain a hairstyle. Most of my life I’ve worn my hair long because it was the easiest. It really wasn’t until last year that I decided to cut it short. I was too lazy to even go back to the hairdresser so I just let it grow out again. But I must have always been interested in hair because when I was younger I photographed hairstyles in high school and each model had to fill out a questionnaire.
Artist's statement: There is such a thing as hair art. We are surrounded by hair art, we just have to pay attention to recognize and admire it. It is the elegant, artistic hairstyles of African American women.
Interesting. What was the idea behind it and what was the result?
After I took the photos, the models had to manipulate a copy of the photo and change the hairstyle to one they would like to wear. I made a book of that; the original, the questionnaire and the manipulated photo. These were real works of art, as all the models were artists themselves.
I have also come across other work of yours, mainly still lifes. Were these before or after the African hairstyles? Was there a difference in feeling when making the paintings? Do you have a preference?
In the past I have done a lot of photo watercolor. I took black and white photos and painted them with watercolor. Some posters are for sale online, but it is not my best work. The posters are more my commercial work.
The African hairstyles is the biggest project I have ever done. I started in 1998. From 2000 to 2001 I took a year off from teaching to take pictures of hairstyles. It was one of the best years of my life. It is a luxury to be able to dedicate your days completely to art and museum visits and research! I enjoyed the preliminary research at the beginning of the project. And when I paint, time and place pass me by, as if I am meditating. When I am finished with one piece I just move on to another.
Does this mean the end of the African hairstyles project or will there be a follow up?
I have written a children's book about historical African hairstyles using my photographs and paintings. An agent in New York is currently looking for a publisher.
I am also working on a series of satirical portraits based on oriental art.
Does the book also show children's hairstyles?
No, more feminine hairstyles, there is a photo of a mother and daughter wearing different hairstyles.
More work by Hillary Younglove can be viewed and ordered at: http://www.images.com and http://www.sonomaacademy.org/users/younglove/Home.htm.