Meet the Artist

Combining American Traditional art styles with components of realism portraiture to create unique illustrative realism pieces, Dallas, TX-based artist Atreju ‘Trey’ Hill has a distinctive way of centering his work to attract the viewer’s eye to what he wants you to see. Through his creative process, Trey draws upon multiple sources of inspiration and employs a variety of techniques to ensure the work he produces is unrepeated elsewhere. 

Trey’s interest in art began at a very young age, with the walls of his childhood home providing the canvas; his tools, whatever he could get his hands on. Art classes in school provided a baseline for instruction and experience, lovingly supported by his family of many artistic talents. Trey draws inspiration from artists such as Marc Brunet, Stan Prokopenko, Art by Jazza, Sinix Design, and Mark Crilley, eagerly following videos they post and experimenting with different media types, seeking to hone his expertise through motivation and self-education. With encouragement from friends and family, Trey pursued a tattoo apprenticeship to further sharpen his skills and apply focus to his creations. Through his apprenticeship, under the careful watch of mentor Travis Chick and supported by Lindsay Lane and the entire staff at Dallas Tattoo, Trey’s art was allowed to fully blossom and Trey found new enthusiasm and excitement for different types of art and mediums.      

Trey’s preferred areas of focus with his artwork are in creating realism and surrealism portraiture. He most enjoys creating black and grey pieces, adding value changes through control of hand pressure and speed for a dramatic effect, occasionally throwing in splashes of color for fun. Inspired by other artists to experiment with different types of media, Trey’s tools of choice in his creative process are Faber-Castell pitt matte graphite and charcoals, employing hand-smudging, cross-hatching and stippling techniques while balancing layers and creating smooth, consistent gradients to add both depth and contour. Trey’s latest art passion is illustrative realism. Trey loves the bold lines and shading of American Traditional tattoo art and he uniquely pairs realistic human form with American Traditional, utilizing those lines to exaggerate, emphasize, and create striking and thoughtful works of art. When Trey’s creating digital art, he prefers using Adobe products at home and the Procreate illustration app on his iPad when on the go for their functionality and flexibility. 

Trey’s works are regularly featured on Simplistic Music Company’s release covers and he has created various art on t-shirts and skateboards; experimenting with both tie dye and sublimation print for Dallas-area music events Textured and Deep Elem Art Company.  Trey enthusiastically lends his talents to special tattoo events at Dallas Tattoo, and has participated in charity tattoo fundraisers for North Texas Wildlife Center animal shelter. Trey has showcased his art at conventions Hell City in Phoenix, AZ and Star of Texas in Austin.  

Trey writes, “I want my work to be thought-provoking to the viewer, and it’s my hope that my work will be unforgettable to those whose eyes have been captivated by it.”