Biography

Born in 1968 in Canterbury, Hamish Blakely completed his Foundation course at Wimbledon school of Art after which he graduated from Kingston University in 1990. These studies informed, what remains, a fascination with the human figure. This all began early in his childhood when, like many his age, the publications of Marvel and DC comics proved an abundant source of inspiration. He also recalls a huge, coffee table book of Norman Rockwell whose colour plates displayed skill and imagination that seduced him, feeding his wonder and curiosity. This appetite for painting was further amplified when he attended the ‘Desiring Renoir’ Exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London, 1985. He recalls “I was approximately seventeen and seeing the paintings up close, noticing the luxuriant, sometimes messy concoction of paint, the washes, the texture and nuance, spoke to me in a way that I found sacred and spellbinding. I just wanted to use paint and see where it would take me.”

After completing his studies, Blakely became joined the world’s most successful Illustration agency, Folio during which time his clients included The Body Shop and British Telecom. He was also chosen to paint two front covers for the world-renowned author of Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally.

While obviously sensuous, his paintings also hint at deeper, primal forces. Using a colour palette and technique that harks back to the old masters of the Neo-Classicist and Orientalist periods, Blakely suffuses his potent heroines with a singular presence that nullifies any chance of their being relegated to pretty, wallflowers.

His Goddesses are just that, mystical beings entirely at ease in their own space without the influence of a Svengali and free from the imposition of any outside authority. These women are beautiful not simply because of their indisputable allure but because they want to be there. They radiate grace and an inner light that annuls any possibility of their being seen as submissive or decorative.