Click here to see pieces for sale by Holly Hinkle  

Holly’s journey through life has been filled both hope and tragedy. Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1962, Holly’s family roots are in the mountains of West Virginia. After moving around a lot as a child and young adult, Holly finally came back to her roots and returned to West Virginia in 1996. 

Holly, her husband, and son now live in a restored pre-civil war cabin that they purchased and moved log by log to their property. Despite the fact that they are living in just two rooms at present and eating from plates held in their hands (Holly’s artwork occupies most of their tablespace) the Hinkles couldn’t agree more with John Denver when he sang “Almost Heaven, West Virginia.” Working mostly at night with her companion, a cat named Orion, Holly creates beautiful paintings and sculptures with acrylic paint on found wood. 

As many artists do, Holly started creating at a time in her life that was filled with misery. Within a year, Holly lost a sister, brother, aunt, and grandfather. During this period of almost unbearable misery, Holly remembered her love for painting from her childhood and began to create. With very little money to spare for art supplies, Holly ran across an estate sale that had a large lot of paint, canvas, and brushes. She bid on the lot and won it. Armed with these supplies, Holly began her creative journey. Over time, her work went from dark and foreboding to brighter and more cheerful works. This transition marked the healing that was taking place in her soul and spirit as God moved to comfort and restore her. 

As God has directed her, Holly has started creating sculptures that she calls “Fragments” since they are made of pieces of scrap wood. Once these fragments were bound for the land fill or fire, but now they are wonderfully crafted works of art. 

After running across a set of carving knives that belonged to her brother, Holly has also started to create wood carvings, an art form that runs deep into the fiber of the West Virginia Mountains. 

While Holly’s work began as a sort of self-created therapy, it has blossomed into much more. Her innate ability to convey raw emotion with the simplest materials instantly endears her to those who are blessed to discover her work. Born out of a simpler lifestyle, her art forces the viewer to contemplate where they have been and more importantly where they are going.   

Click here to see pieces for sale by Holly Hinkle