Perfect paper: Artist coming to Monroe County Community College uses handmade Nepal paper
David Hile is fond of lemon yellow-colored art paper.
About 20 years ago, the local artist and Monroe High School graduate bought some hand-dyed Lokta paper at an art store. He put it in a drawer and forgot about it.
He found it after he retired.
“I could barely remember buying it. I drew my first drawing on it in 2016 and then decided to try to find out where I could get more," Hile said. "I researched Lokta paper on Google and read about its history. It is made by hand in Katmandu, Nepal, from the inner bark of several laurel bushes that only grow within certain altitudes on the slopes of the Himalayas. After harvesting the bark, the bush is ready for harvesting again in five years, so it is self-sustaining."
Lokta paper is dyed using natural items, like fruits, vegetables, nuts and berries. It comes in more than 40 colors, including Hile’s favorite yellow hue.
“I later found a distributor in Illinois, so that is where I order from now. I have used it in virtually all my drawings since the first drawing in 2016,” the artist said. “I use it because it seems to work perfectly with my color palette and adds a background color or fourth color to my drawings.”
Ten of Hile’s paintings and drawings on his signature yellow Lokta paper will be displayed in the Campbell Academic Center at Monroe County Community College through May 19. Admission is free. The public is welcome.
“I am looking forward to visiting my alma mater again,” Hile said. “I will be exhibiting my current fine art pieces. They are all framed drawings, some originals and some prints. Most were done in 2022 and 2023, with a few of my favorites from earlier years,” Hile said. "(They show) strong line work with limited flat color, highlighting humans and their relationship to nature.”
Among the works on display will be Hile’s favorite piece, “Harmony.”
“I like it because it is one of my most recent drawings, it's large-scale (by my standards), and the drawing fell into place nicely,” Hile said.
As part of the exhibit, the artist also will speak about his decades-long art career from 6:30 to 8 p.m. April 19 in the Campbell Academic Center at MCCC. Admission is free.
“Unlike past visiting artists who showed their current work, I am titling my talk ‘50 Years as an Artist.’ Since I am an alumnus of Monroe County Community College, I will begin with my freshman year there in 1971," Hile said. "I will discuss how my work changed through my two years at Siena Heights in Adrian and my Master of Fine Arts degree at Eastern Michigan University. I will include my 35-year career as a commercial illustrator and establishing my advertising agency. I will finish with my current fine art work, which I began upon retiring in 2015, through the present.”
Hile also had been an adjunct professor of art at MCCC. Before that, he was an illustrator in the Ann Arbor area.
“I did illustrations for everything: Automobile engines and cut-a-ways, medical illustrations, editorial art and book covers, billboards, photographic retouching, art for websites and animations, just about anything one could imagine that required custom artwork,” Hile said.
Today, he spends most afternoons in his studio, where he’s currently working on a drawing and an oil painting. He also exhibits in art shows.
“Last year I was in 12 shows, including local Ann Arbor, regional, national and international,” Hile said.
Recently, his work "Adoring Nature" was selected for the 14th annual Drawing Discourse at the University of North Carolina. It was one of 65 drawings chosen from 938 entries from six different countries.
“The artwork sold at the show and was produced in a show catalog that was dispersed to a wide creative audience,” Hile said.
For more information, visit davidhile.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Artist coming to MCCC uses handmade Nepal paper
