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“ One of the fascinating
aspects of [the works
we own] is how Ron
Hicks is able to meld
both classical and
contemporary elements.
We are so happy to have
found these works that
continue to intrigue us.”
— Gaddis & Susan Wittjen, collectors
He dips his brush into turpentine, adds a
little black and sets out dividing the space
on his panel abstractly “and then I let it
tell me what to do. As soon as you make a
mark on the canvas it becomes a problem
solving equation.” The painted dialogue
was covered over with subsequent layers
of paint in his earlier paintings but he finds
“I love leaving the history on the canvas more
visually. They’re a little bit more honest.”
The new paintings, such as Silent
Peregrination of the Wind, show the
process, the woven texture of the canvas
on the board and the thick texture of paint.
The figure’s face becomes another shape
in the larger abstraction. “When I saw Old
Master paintings in museums,” he says,
“I saw there was surface texture that was
exquisite even if it was only a micron thick.”
His enigmatic abstractions have equally
as enigmatic titles. He explains, “I started
questioning my titles and their influence on
the painting. I’m the initiator of a dialogue.
It’s not for me to decide what this means for
you. I don’t want the titles to influence you.”
He finds his abstract paintings to be
more difficult than painting “in a represen-
tational way. It’s easier to render something
than to start out from scratch. I have two to
three paintings going at the same time. If
I lose the gut feeling for a piece I tell myself
to back off and to work on another one.
That allows me to come back with a fresh
way of seeing it.”
Vail International Gallery
100 E. Meadow Drive #17 • Vail, CO 81657 •
(970) 476-2525 • http://www.vailgallery.com
1
Impassionate
Ruminations, oil on
linen on board,
40 x 30"
2
Amaranthine
Continuance,
oil on birch panel,
78½ x 53¾"
3
Silent Peregrination
in the Wind, oil on
linen on board,
48 x 40"
4
Yearning, oil on board,
48 x 55½"
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