Norma Hill: Fashion Designer and Fine Art Photographer

Norma Hill is a fine art photographer and fashion artist.  Originally from New York, Hill went to school at Bard College taking a job at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Photograph Library for her first job.  Moving on she studied the darkroom techniques in Paris where she learned the art of hand painting on black and white photographs using oil paint.  Returning to New York Hill studied Polaroid transfer techniques at the International Center of Photography in New York and was chosen as one of six to be a creative consultant to Polaroid.  Polaroid transfer looks like impressionist artwork.

Hill recently moved from New York and works out of her Encinitas studio combining painting, photography, and objects from nature.  Currently she uses these skills to create fashion and home décor.  With harmony in diversity being one of her main objectives in her work, she recently is working on series of icons and texts from around the world to help promote this.   

While traveling around the world, Hill has photographed graffiti and specifically is focusing on developing a technique to print graffiti on fabric. Currently, Hill prints on bamboo and silk charmeuse fabric creating a highly unique look.  This process incorporates non-toxic ink in a 44" wide printer.   Hill prints on dresses, shirts, coats, and accessories such as silk scarves and winter shawls. Recently, Hill has opened an on-line store where she hopes to highlight all these creations including pillows and home décor items. Her newest introduction is a men’s line of ties and bow ties.  With vibrant and colorful motifs, these ties are a must have for any summer wardrobe.   Each one is an original piece of artwork that is either a limited edition or one-of-a-kind.  The big plus is that everything is "Made In the United States"!

Hill often promotes her unique fashion line at various workshops and events in San Diego, San Francisco, and New York.  With a tagline of "Fashion For Change," Hill also is determined to establish a positive change in the world. Through her community involvement she also works with many charities such as the International Rescue Committee and the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at USD to help further their causes.

Currently, Hill returned from India after winning a sari competition in which she created an elegant dress from a sari for the White Rainbow Project which is a well-established non-profit in North County that raises funds to give life skills to the City of Widows in Vrindavan, India.   While there, Hill participated in a fashion show that highlighted 8 of her designs and was afforded the opportunity to be interviewed on a local Radio Show.  Through the determined efforts of Linda Mandrayar,  The White Rainbow Project raises funds to give life skills to the City of Widows in Vrindavan, India, who often times are left uneducated, malnourished, and impoverished.  This amazing organization affords these women a second chance by teaching them skills to create handmade products that are one of a kind and are later sent to San Diego and sold at craft fairs and retails stores. This additional opportunity allows these women to earn extra income for themselves and their families.  

"Fashion For Change" has been a goal of Norma Hill by refashioning the world with one piece of artwork at a time.  The earth is her palette and she travels around the world where she interweaves elements from each of the different cultures.  She incorporates different parts of each one of these nationalities to create her finished product. Always starting with photography she adds varying mediums to create her magic.