Los Angeles native Debra Jane Hall, also known as Dj Hall, is a “photo realist” artist, and has her art on display at our very own Rio Hondo Art Gallery.

The people in her paintings are real, but what sets Hall apart from what is traditionally called a “photo realist” is the composition of the landscape.

These made up surroundings only ever existed in her mind, and now, they have been recreated on canvas. According to Venice Magazine, Hall tells how she differs from other photo realists, I am not a photo realist in the true definition of the first generation photo-realists, who wanted to be as mechanical as the photographic process (in translating visual information onto a two-dimensional surface). That was never me. I love to draw and paint realistically. I wanted to make these stories and re-create moments. I was not adhering to any reality other than the reality I set-up. When I paint from my internal reality the painting looks nothing like the original sources. My work comes out of a very emotional premise. The photo is my tool.

Born in Los Angeles in 1951, she grew up in Orange County, and was a product of a broken home. As a young child she was left to be raised by her mother, who was unstable and suffered from mental illness. These circumstances caused her to grow up much faster then most kids her age, and in turn, Hall created what she calls “an illusion of reality”, which today has manifested into the form of visual art on canvas.

For a limited time we have the privilege to have Hall’s very own pieces in our art department, so whether you are an art major or not, take the time to go and see a small piece of Hall’s “illusions of reality”.

The Rio Hondo Art Gallery is located in B-14, and is open Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and evenings Monday through Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.