2024 Offsite Gallery solo exhibition: Hard Candy- An Introspective Journey of an American Woman
May 8, 2026 Offsite Gallery “When There Are Nine” A group exhibition coordinated by Rowena Federico Finn
“As an artist, a wife, a mother, and a daughter, I am inspired by the feminine experience and depictions of women in American society. I use my art to explore themes of identity, sexuality, love, loss, vulnerability, and grief. I want my paintings to invite viewers to linger longer and to challenge traditional notions of beauty and femininity within our social construct. I enjoy using collages and mixed media elements in my work and often reference adverts from different eras in American culture. I do not shy away from taking risks with my paintings through the use of bold colors, expressive brushstrokes, excessive layering, and some unconventional elements to create sensual and visceral paintings. I aspire for my paintings to capture the complex and multifaceted nature of womanhood combined with a sense of oversaturation and stimulation of exceeding expectations imposed upon women in American society.”
Hillarey Breedlove is a female painter who creates large-scale bold, expressive, multifaceted paintings that explore themes of identity, sexuality, and consumerism. The female experience and the oversaturation of unrealistic feminine ideals within American culture inspire her.
Hillarey Breedlove is from Knoxville, Tennessee, where she attended the University of Tennessee and earned her BFA in 2003. After graduating, she married her High School sweetheart and became an Army spouse granting her the opportunity to live and travel across the globe. She currently resides in Suffolk, Virginia where she continues to create and exhibit in local galleries and online shows.
Pictured above, on display as part of “When There Are Nine”
Don’t Forget the Faces of Our Mothers
2026. Acrylic paint and paper collage on canvas.
Don’t Forget the Faces of Our Mothers draws inspiration from the 1971 photograph of Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes—a symbol of intersectional solidarity. As co-founders of Ms. Magazine, these women were instrumental in securing the rights that defined an era. Today, as reproductive rights and personal freedoms face renewed legislative challenges, this work serves as a bridge between generations of activists. It is a call to remember the pioneers of the 1970s and a vow to ensure their progress is not erased for the next generation.
This work explores the tension between replication and the human touch. By painting these similar faces concurrently without digital aids, I highlight a creative process that prizes “the artist as human” over mechanical precision. The slight deviations in each portrait are intentional, mirroring the unique identities within a collective movement. I’ve titled the piece in dialogue with Stephen King’s “Gunslinger” series, which uses the phrase “Don’t forget the face of your father” as a hallmark of duty and heritage. By pivoting this sentiment toward the maternal, I am calling for the same level of honor, humility, and fierce pride to be afforded to the women who came before us.
