Ron Hicks is a painter of dialogues…without words. In the process of painting, he has a dialogue with it, beginning with his brush dipped in turpentine with a little black, abstractly dividing the canvas. The finished work bears the marks of the conversation—complex, abstract. The faces are another form in the composition but invite the viewer to continue the conversation. The enigmatic paintings and opaque titles leave the viewer free to take the conversation where he or she may wish. “I’m the initiator of a dialogue,” Hicks says. “I like my paintings to be open-ended. I like to lead you in a direction but not give you everything. There’s no right or wrong way to see it.”The Stoic One, oil on board, 23½ x 16"

Hicks converses not only with his paintings, but also with his models whom he allows to settle eventually into a comfortable pose that approximates his original suggestion. The naturalness of the pose brings vitality to the painting rather than it being a static painting of an object.

His most recent paintings will be shown at Gallery 1261 in Denver, September 7 to 28.Fleur, oil on board, 56½ x 37½"

Often his titles are as enigmatic as his subjects are. The Stoic One invites our contemplation—especially after Hicks explains, “It’s not for me to decide what this means for you.” The Rembrandtesque face emerges from a complex, abstract background, every inch of which invites closer inspection just as paint, color, texture, juxtapositions. The subject gazes directly at the viewer, eager to tell her complicated story and to invite you to share yours.

Hicks’ own complicated story began in Columbus, Ohio, grew up in Denver, returned to Columbus to attend the Columbus College of Art and Design, went back to Denver to work as an illustrator and eventually settled comfortably into painting fine art.Paradoxical Propensities, oil on board, 56½ x 37½"

His influences are broad, from Velázquez to Whistler. He reads, studies, looks closely at the paintings of earlier masters and then creates his own expressions, unique in today’s world. Dostoevsky wrote, “To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” Hicks is going right in his own way. 

Gallery 1261 1412 Wazee Street • Denver, CO 80202 (303) 571-1261 • www.gallery1261.com

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