Far Wood and other Landscapes
1970s/1980s
The main focus of this room is the Far Wood series of paintings, which form a large part of John Hitchens’ work from this period.
Far Wood, with its dense vegetation, lies near the artist’s Sussex studio. Locations further afield gave rise to a contrasting group of paintings in the course of the 1970s. Painted at Selsey and Scotland, they show Hitchens interpreting other landscapes in the British Isles, such as the wide, sandy beaches of North Uist.
Image © Joe Low Photography
Image © Joe Low Photography
The Far Wood landscapes of the 1980s are characteristic of Hitchens’ approach at this time. He was beginning to dispense with skylines and cloud formations, and his paintings were becoming freer in their construction and brushwork. A number of smaller paintings featuring the Wealden view from Duncton Hill, and scenes in Wales date to the same period. Towards the end of this period, the Great Storm of 1987 hastened these developments by introducing new and unfamiliar forms to Hitchens’ subject matter.
Summer’s Deep Wood, 1981, © The Artist
Through the Blue Day, 1984, © The Artist
A Year’s Turning, 1983, © The Artist
Farwood Foliage, 1986, © The Artist
Waddington Diaries
These were personal diaries issued by Waddington Galleries as a gift to their clients/artists in 1985 for the following year.
John Hitchens used one for painting-related subjects and one for home life. Reproductions of some of the sketches featured in these diaries are on display in the gallery.
Diary Page, 1986, © The Artist
Diary Page, 1986, © The Artist
Waddington Diaries, 1986, © The Artist
Diary Page, 1986, © The Artist
Waddington Diaries, 1986, © The Artist
Diary Page, 1986, © The Artist