John Hicks
I am a Welsh artist, from Newport, currently living in Penarth. My current work is mostly oil paint on canvas, featuring recurring themes of mental health and mindfulness. I’ve chosen these themes in response to what I perceive as a hidden global pandemic, affecting the lives of many people that I encounter.
I’ve focused on figurative art, particularly portraiture and landscape, often using surrealism to convey ideas and emotions.
My work has a strong sense of design and composition which originates from an early love of comic book illustration. Mark making and brush strokes, layering paint and manipulating the opacity of oil paint are aspects that I’ve been developing, inspired by artists such as Rembrandt, Diego Rivera, Stanley Spencer, Jenny Saville and Edward Hopper.
I also use my Photoshop/Photography and Graphic Design skills to develop traditional oil painting further, creating digital variants of key images.
I am a recently retired schoolteacher, with 30 years of service (25 at Newport High School).
