David Hylton is a Southern California-based artist who works in a variety of media. His artwork explores the intersection of art and science and such diverse concepts as lifeforms in the midst of chemical and biochemical transformation; the mysteries of the microscopic world; and the human imagination in the act of creation. His artwork probes the human psyche and invites the viewer on an exploration of places light and dark; of wonder and peril.

He experiments with diverse media to best express each piece’s concept. In his painting “No Man is an Island,” he created organic shapes with foam clay to suggest living beings reaching out and attempting to connect with one another. His painting “The Burning Sea” depicts the terror of climate crisis through flames and roiling water painted with thick layers of encaustic and oil pigment sticks. He incorporated nano imagery in the otherworldly digital mixed media piece “Nascence” that was selected for the MoonArk. His other paintings combine such media as oil and acrylic paints, string gel, colored pencil, and organic material in his exploration of the human condition. His process is a balance of chaos and control, starting with a concept and the vision of a composition, yet allowing for improvisation and spontaneity as the work develops. His artwork contains recurring symbols and motifs that form a visual lexicon to express his fascination with the beauty and tragedy of our era. His artwork acknowledges the ecological, political and societal horrors of our time, while also suggesting hope for change and optimism for our shared future.

His paintings were featured in a solo exhibition at the Cerritos Library in 2023. His work has also been featured in exhibitions such as Us: What divides us and what unites us?, Touchstone Gallery, Washington, D.C.; ART IN THE TIME OF CORONA™, Dab Art Co.; 26th Annual Made in California Juried Exhibition, Brea, California; NanoArt 21: Passion for Knowledge, Donostia International Physics Center, San Sebastian, Spain; Art in Science Collaborations: Digital 10: Planet Earth, New York Hall of Science, New York, New York and The Science Exchange Building, Adelaide, Australia; Siggraph 2003: The 30th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California; Siggraph Traveling Art Show, Ecole du Louvre, Salon d'Automne and the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris, France and the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. A full list of his exhibitions can be found in the Exhibitions section of this website.

His artwork has been published in ACM Siggraph’s, The History of Computer Graphics and Digital Art Project and selected to be included in the Carnegie Melon University MoonArk project, the first museum to be located on the moon. An identical MoonArk was created and will be added to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s permanent collection. He was invited to contribute artwork to the City of Brea, Art in Public Spaces program. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in art from California State University, Fullerton. He is a Professor at California Polytechnic University, Pomona.