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  • Artist’s Statement
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  • Gallery 1964 – 2020
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  • @jhitchens
Homeadmin2020-06-22T10:59:33+00:00

jhitchens
CLOUDS AND FIELDS, 2020, acrylic, pen and ink, 81 CLOUDS AND FIELDS, 2020, acrylic, pen and ink, 81 x 112cm From the early cloudscapes to recent paintings that take as their motif observed and memorised land markings, seen from various perspectives, there is an underlying pattern in the work of six decades. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #nature #clouds #fields #pattern
MOON TIDE, 2002, oil on canvas and burnt wood, 86 MOON TIDE, 2002, oil on canvas and burnt wood, 86 x 208 cm Observations of the moon, the sun, stars and the earth seen from space have influenced my work for many years, often reducing scenes to a few simple shapes and compositions. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #nature #moon #tide #shapes #contemporaryart #abstractart
EVENT HORIZON, 1997, oil on canvas, 140 x 140cm Th EVENT HORIZON, 1997, oil on canvas, 140 x 140cm The title of the picture reflects my interest in observing the night sky and in science fiction. ‘Event Horizon’ is a term that occurs in astrophysics, and it was also the title of a science fiction film that was released in 1997, when this picture was painted in 1997. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #nature #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart #20thcentury
Two designs for columns, October, 1995, felt tippe Two designs for columns, October, 1995, felt tipped pen on paper, 29.5 x 21 cm #johnhitchens #painter #britishartist #sussex #landscape
Variations on a bar code - Digital photography and Variations on a bar code - Digital photography and image processing have added a new dimension to the collection of sketchbooks and diaries in recent years. The varying lines of bar codes have long been of interest. Two albums of digitally manipulated images based on a bar code are part of this "store of ideas". #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #abstractart #sussex #lines #pattern #barcode
SILENT FORMS, 2005, oil on canvas, 168.5 x 204.5 c SILENT FORMS, 2005, oil on canvas, 168.5 x 204.5 cm This painting follows a period of exploring the form of a circle, that could be stretched into a ‘u’ or a ‘v’. It echoes the shapes in some of the woodland paintings and it can also be seen clearly in the newer works, such as Silent Forms. The design still refers to the landscape, but in this case the brushwork is replaced by quantities of dots. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart
SHAPED LAND, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 78.5 x 102cm SHAPED LAND, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 78.5 x 102cm The origins of these recent, abstract paintings can be found in aerial views of landscapes. Many of the compositions echo the boundaries of fields made by human beings in response to the contours of landscape. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart #contours
AMBERLEY MOUNT, 1966, oil on canvas, 46x91.5cm LAN AMBERLEY MOUNT, 1966, oil on canvas, 46x91.5cm LAND DIVIDE, 2020, acrylic on ash wood, 18 x 46 cm I was re-arranging works in the studio after the return of pictures from #SouthamptonCityArtGallery, and these two were came to be placed in proximity. With more than 50years between them, some elements connect the two. The curve of the slope on the hillside or the dark shape of the gully resonate with the abstracted forms on the painted ash wood. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart #aspectsoflandscape
FIELD SEQUENCE, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 121x144cm FIELD SEQUENCE, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 121x144cm / PAINTED ASH WOOD, 2012, acrylic on wood, 23x20x15 / FOUR FIELD WEAVE, 2014, oil on canvas, 106x183cm Patterns in fields account for a motif that occurs repeatedly in my paintings. This has been a way of seeing the landscape for many years. Seemingly very different works are still demonstrating this underlying structure. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #pattern #fields #abstractart #britishart #sussex
THREE FIELD WEAVE, 2014, oil on canvas, 102x158 cm THREE FIELD WEAVE, 2014, oil on canvas, 102x158 cm / Untitled (P10406855), 1991, acrylic on canvas on canvas, 152x140 cm. / MARCH BLUE, 1970, oil on canvas, 45.5x105.5 cm Landscapes characterised by horizontal lines are a recurring theme for more than four decades. There is a visual link between the early, descriptive paintings of the 1960s and 70s and the more abstract handling of the subject from 1990 onwards. Several of the earlier landscapes will be part of the @moncrieffbray autumn exhibition that opens on October 30th. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #nature #abstractart #lines #exhibition
SPREADING OUT, 2012, oil on canvas, 189.5x122cm / SPREADING OUT, 2012, oil on canvas, 189.5x122cm / SURFACE FROST, 1998, oil on canvas, 92x127cm Paintings dominated by vertical lines are rare in my work. These two correspond with the carved lines on the sculpture in the previous post. 'Spreading Out' was painted when I worked with canvases of different shapes and stacking them was one way of doing that. The vertical thin white lines in 'Surface Frost' suggest frost on the edges of a ploughed field. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #abstractart #nature #sussex
ALDER PYRAMID, 1994, alder Wood, 58 x35cm / Studio ALDER PYRAMID, 1994, alder Wood, 58 x35cm / Studio Installation, September 2020 Close observation of plants, animals, stones and the night sky was part of growing up in the countryside. Forms that occur in nature remain a source for ideas for new work. Anything that can be cross--referenced is of interest and might be added to the collection of found objects in the studio. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #nature #sussex #southdowns #forms #foundobjects #wood
Drawings, 1999, pen on cotton duck, c. 30 x 40 cm Drawings, 1999, pen on cotton duck, c. 30 x 40 cm / FOUR FIELDS GATHERING, No. 1 to 4; 2004 - 2008, acrylic on canvas, c. 85 x 120 cm The drawings link to other work on the subject of intrusions. Here, they are shapes coming into a field area. In the later paintings the four shapes were extended into open circles that reach out of a space. #johnhitchens #painter #sussex #southdowns #landscape #nature #fields #abstractart #pattern #britishart #book #monograph #aspectsoflandscape
A view of #Gallery 2 @southamptoncityartgallery. T A view of #Gallery 2 @southamptoncityartgallery. The #exhibition 'Aspects of Landscape' ends on Saturday, October 3rd. The accompanying #book with the same title is still available from Sansom publishers. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #sussex #southdowns #artexhibition #southampton
FIELD EXPLORING, 2005, gouache and acrylic, 57x77. FIELD EXPLORING, 2005, gouache and acrylic, 57x77.5cm / DEPARTURE, 2005, oil on canvas 163x388cm 'Field Exploring' was painted at the same time as the large work 'Departure' that is currently exhibited @southamptoncityartgallery. It marks a period of exploring different ways of depicting landscape, not only in abstracted forms but also in the use of layered and textured surfaces. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #sussex #southdowns #fields #pattern #abstractart #artexhibition #retrospective #southampton
FIELD LINE GRID No. 2, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 61 FIELD LINE GRID No. 2, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 61.5x61.5cm / MARCH BLUE, 1970, oil on canvas, 45.5x105.5cm The curved lines and shapes of fields account for a motif that occurs repeatedly over many decades. There is a visual connection between the more recent, abstract paintings and some of the earlier works that are currently on display in #Gallery 4 @southamptoncityartgallery as part of the #exhibition 'Aspects of Landscape'. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #southdowns #nature #artexhibition #contemporaryart #retrospective #soloshow #southampton #fields #lines #abstractart
@sussexlifemag, October issue, on 'Aspects of Land @sussexlifemag, October issue, on 'Aspects of Landscape' @southamptoncityartgallery and the monograph published by #sansom
LANDSCAPE IN THREE MOVEMENTS (final study for A La LANDSCAPE IN THREE MOVEMENTS (final study for A Landscape Symphony), 1977, oil on canvas, 86.5 x 639 cm A view of #Gallery 3 @southamptoncityartgallery with earlier works painted during the 1970s and 80s. The #exhibition ‘Aspects of Landscape’ closes at the end of next week, on October 3rd. #johnhitchens #painter #britishartist #art #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #texture #contemporaryart #artgallery #artexhibition #britishart #retrospective #soloshow #Southampton #SouthamptonCityArtGallery #exhibition #book #monograph https://sansomandcompany.co.uk/product/john-hitchens-aspects-of-landscape/
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jhitchens
CLOUDS AND FIELDS, 2020, acrylic, pen and ink, 81 CLOUDS AND FIELDS, 2020, acrylic, pen and ink, 81 x 112cm From the early cloudscapes to recent paintings that take as their motif observed and memorised land markings, seen from various perspectives, there is an underlying pattern in the work of six decades. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #nature #clouds #fields #pattern
MOON TIDE, 2002, oil on canvas and burnt wood, 86 MOON TIDE, 2002, oil on canvas and burnt wood, 86 x 208 cm Observations of the moon, the sun, stars and the earth seen from space have influenced my work for many years, often reducing scenes to a few simple shapes and compositions. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #nature #moon #tide #shapes #contemporaryart #abstractart
EVENT HORIZON, 1997, oil on canvas, 140 x 140cm Th EVENT HORIZON, 1997, oil on canvas, 140 x 140cm The title of the picture reflects my interest in observing the night sky and in science fiction. ‘Event Horizon’ is a term that occurs in astrophysics, and it was also the title of a science fiction film that was released in 1997, when this picture was painted in 1997. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #nature #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart #20thcentury
Two designs for columns, October, 1995, felt tippe Two designs for columns, October, 1995, felt tipped pen on paper, 29.5 x 21 cm #johnhitchens #painter #britishartist #sussex #landscape
Variations on a bar code - Digital photography and Variations on a bar code - Digital photography and image processing have added a new dimension to the collection of sketchbooks and diaries in recent years. The varying lines of bar codes have long been of interest. Two albums of digitally manipulated images based on a bar code are part of this "store of ideas". #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #abstractart #sussex #lines #pattern #barcode
SILENT FORMS, 2005, oil on canvas, 168.5 x 204.5 c SILENT FORMS, 2005, oil on canvas, 168.5 x 204.5 cm This painting follows a period of exploring the form of a circle, that could be stretched into a ‘u’ or a ‘v’. It echoes the shapes in some of the woodland paintings and it can also be seen clearly in the newer works, such as Silent Forms. The design still refers to the landscape, but in this case the brushwork is replaced by quantities of dots. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart
SHAPED LAND, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 78.5 x 102cm SHAPED LAND, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 78.5 x 102cm The origins of these recent, abstract paintings can be found in aerial views of landscapes. Many of the compositions echo the boundaries of fields made by human beings in response to the contours of landscape. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart #contours
AMBERLEY MOUNT, 1966, oil on canvas, 46x91.5cm LAN AMBERLEY MOUNT, 1966, oil on canvas, 46x91.5cm LAND DIVIDE, 2020, acrylic on ash wood, 18 x 46 cm I was re-arranging works in the studio after the return of pictures from #SouthamptonCityArtGallery, and these two were came to be placed in proximity. With more than 50years between them, some elements connect the two. The curve of the slope on the hillside or the dark shape of the gully resonate with the abstracted forms on the painted ash wood. #johnhitchens #painter #britishart #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #contemporaryart #abstractart #aspectsoflandscape
FIELD SEQUENCE, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 121x144cm FIELD SEQUENCE, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 121x144cm / PAINTED ASH WOOD, 2012, acrylic on wood, 23x20x15 / FOUR FIELD WEAVE, 2014, oil on canvas, 106x183cm Patterns in fields account for a motif that occurs repeatedly in my paintings. This has been a way of seeing the landscape for many years. Seemingly very different works are still demonstrating this underlying structure. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #pattern #fields #abstractart #britishart #sussex
THREE FIELD WEAVE, 2014, oil on canvas, 102x158 cm THREE FIELD WEAVE, 2014, oil on canvas, 102x158 cm / Untitled (P10406855), 1991, acrylic on canvas on canvas, 152x140 cm. / MARCH BLUE, 1970, oil on canvas, 45.5x105.5 cm Landscapes characterised by horizontal lines are a recurring theme for more than four decades. There is a visual link between the early, descriptive paintings of the 1960s and 70s and the more abstract handling of the subject from 1990 onwards. Several of the earlier landscapes will be part of the @moncrieffbray autumn exhibition that opens on October 30th. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #nature #abstractart #lines #exhibition
SPREADING OUT, 2012, oil on canvas, 189.5x122cm / SPREADING OUT, 2012, oil on canvas, 189.5x122cm / SURFACE FROST, 1998, oil on canvas, 92x127cm Paintings dominated by vertical lines are rare in my work. These two correspond with the carved lines on the sculpture in the previous post. 'Spreading Out' was painted when I worked with canvases of different shapes and stacking them was one way of doing that. The vertical thin white lines in 'Surface Frost' suggest frost on the edges of a ploughed field. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #abstractart #nature #sussex
ALDER PYRAMID, 1994, alder Wood, 58 x35cm / Studio ALDER PYRAMID, 1994, alder Wood, 58 x35cm / Studio Installation, September 2020 Close observation of plants, animals, stones and the night sky was part of growing up in the countryside. Forms that occur in nature remain a source for ideas for new work. Anything that can be cross--referenced is of interest and might be added to the collection of found objects in the studio. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #britishart #nature #sussex #southdowns #forms #foundobjects #wood
Drawings, 1999, pen on cotton duck, c. 30 x 40 cm Drawings, 1999, pen on cotton duck, c. 30 x 40 cm / FOUR FIELDS GATHERING, No. 1 to 4; 2004 - 2008, acrylic on canvas, c. 85 x 120 cm The drawings link to other work on the subject of intrusions. Here, they are shapes coming into a field area. In the later paintings the four shapes were extended into open circles that reach out of a space. #johnhitchens #painter #sussex #southdowns #landscape #nature #fields #abstractart #pattern #britishart #book #monograph #aspectsoflandscape
A view of #Gallery 2 @southamptoncityartgallery. T A view of #Gallery 2 @southamptoncityartgallery. The #exhibition 'Aspects of Landscape' ends on Saturday, October 3rd. The accompanying #book with the same title is still available from Sansom publishers. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #sussex #southdowns #artexhibition #southampton
FIELD EXPLORING, 2005, gouache and acrylic, 57x77. FIELD EXPLORING, 2005, gouache and acrylic, 57x77.5cm / DEPARTURE, 2005, oil on canvas 163x388cm 'Field Exploring' was painted at the same time as the large work 'Departure' that is currently exhibited @southamptoncityartgallery. It marks a period of exploring different ways of depicting landscape, not only in abstracted forms but also in the use of layered and textured surfaces. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #sussex #southdowns #fields #pattern #abstractart #artexhibition #retrospective #southampton
FIELD LINE GRID No. 2, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 61 FIELD LINE GRID No. 2, 2014, acrylic on canvas, 61.5x61.5cm / MARCH BLUE, 1970, oil on canvas, 45.5x105.5cm The curved lines and shapes of fields account for a motif that occurs repeatedly over many decades. There is a visual connection between the more recent, abstract paintings and some of the earlier works that are currently on display in #Gallery 4 @southamptoncityartgallery as part of the #exhibition 'Aspects of Landscape'. #johnhitchens #painter #landscape #southdowns #nature #artexhibition #contemporaryart #retrospective #soloshow #southampton #fields #lines #abstractart
@sussexlifemag, October issue, on 'Aspects of Land @sussexlifemag, October issue, on 'Aspects of Landscape' @southamptoncityartgallery and the monograph published by #sansom
LANDSCAPE IN THREE MOVEMENTS (final study for A La LANDSCAPE IN THREE MOVEMENTS (final study for A Landscape Symphony), 1977, oil on canvas, 86.5 x 639 cm A view of #Gallery 3 @southamptoncityartgallery with earlier works painted during the 1970s and 80s. The #exhibition ‘Aspects of Landscape’ closes at the end of next week, on October 3rd. #johnhitchens #painter #britishartist #art #landscape #southdowns #sussex #nature #fields #shapes #pattern #texture #contemporaryart #artgallery #artexhibition #britishart #retrospective #soloshow #Southampton #SouthamptonCityArtGallery #exhibition #book #monograph https://sansomandcompany.co.uk/product/john-hitchens-aspects-of-landscape/
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