Lineillism Revealed

COVINGTON, KY – In 2000, local artist Jim “J.C.” Hall suffered an intense attack of shingles, a painful disease which affects the nerves and, in Hall’s case, his vision. He began seeing the world in vertical bands of color.

At first, he thought he was going blind. Then, intrigued as an artist, he began painting what he saw. Applying paint to canvas in vertical stripes that blend together from a distance to form an image, Hall created a new art technique which he named “Lineillism.”

Hall’s vision cleared over time, but he continued his new painting style. In 2105, he met Bellevue, KY filmmaker Steve Oldfield, who was struck by Hall’s story and decided to make a documentary about the man and his art.  Last August, the film, “Lines of Sight,” premiered at the Indie Gathering International Film Festival in Hudson, OH, where it not only won the feature documentary category,  but also the Viewer’s Choice Award as the favorite overall film from more than 70 entries from 10 countries.

The film and an exhibit of Hall’s paintings, titled “Lineillism Revealed,” will open at Behringer-Crawford Museum in Devou Park at 6 p.m., Friday, February 3.  The film will be shown from 6:30-7:30 p.m., followed by a discussion with Hall and Oldfield, when they will share behind-the-scenes stories about the year-long production process.

Admission to the reception is free for museum members and $5 for non-members. The exhibit will continue through Sunday, April 9 and is included with museum admission.