“Visual arts have always been a part of my life, but early on it primarily was a way to express myself or help navigate internal struggles,” he said. After graduating with a degree in music business, he got a job as a road manager for the Christian rock band Petra.
“I started to learn graphic design to help other bands with their merch,” he said. He enjoyed this different avenue of artistic expression and began working with record labels as a graphic designer. He also continued painting, gradually building a portfolio of artwork.
Travels throughout Africa, the Pacific Northwest and Tennessee inspired Hall to begin artistically exploring the allure of nature and humanity’s relationship with it. He began painting on large-scale canvases to create the illusion of a direct doorway into the outdoors.
“It's difficult to be present in today’s day and age,” he added. “When you're out in nature or standing in front of the ocean, there's a moment of pause that happens.”
In recent years Hall has achieved remarkable success. His paintings have been displayed in galleries across the country and acquired by museums and private collectors.
Chip and Joanna Gaines, founders of the media brand Magnolia, purchased one of Hall's paintings called “Waves Become Mountains” to hang in their headquarters in Waco, Texas. His artwork has been featured by HGTV, MTV, Warner Music Nashville and Architectural Digest.
“My painting transforms throughout the intensity of the storyline,” he said. “The directors used different wall applications to make the waves shift and get bigger as the storyline progresses.”
“One day around that time, a woman in her early 30s who owned a jewelry shop next to my studio walked inside and stood in front of that painting. She started crying and said: ‘I've been searching for an answer to something happening in my life. I felt like God was speaking to me through this painting.’”
The image he’d created was one of beautiful chaos. “There was a storm going on, but also calm light coming over the horizon,” he said.
Two weeks later Hall learned that the woman had died from cancer shortly after visiting his studio. “I had no idea she’d been fighting that battle,” he said. “I think the painting connected with her on a spiritual level. It was the first time she'd been able to release the pain that she'd been experiencing.”
