The Figurative Edit
F
HAMISH BLAKELY
igurative art has been out of the spotlight in recent years with so much fashionable interest in the power and impact of abstract form, but for artist Hamish Blakely there has only ever been one way to paint – by employing the formal elements of true figurative
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art. In giving full attention to line, shape, colour, and form with a strong narrative context, he has carved out a highly successful career as a bold and interesting artist with total confidence in his talent and what it can deliver. Like all great figurative painters he is drawn to a confined area of the anatomy – a spotlit area that reveals a rigid jaw line, or the tension in a turned neck. Honed in the techniques of anatomical drawing his work keeps the human form at the centre of all his work. “While I count Caravaggio, Degas and Velasquez amongst many influences, I have no interest in emulating others,” says Blakely, whose figurative art is highly regard- ed and sought after by collectors. Like all great painters he is spurred on by self doubt before starting to paint, but he says this “keeps me on my toes”. His fluid lines and use of rich colour, together with that attention to detail are key to creating such dramatic images “I don’t over analyse but keep the heart and mind open, rely on the inner voice and be willing to learn – everything is a work in progress.” Two new releases from the new ‘ Out of Work Angels ’ collection provide a stunning opportunity for Blakely to display his skill, once again using his wife, an ex-ballerina, as his model and inspiration. “Gail doesn’t appear merely as a decorative or passive pictorial element, she endows the work with nobility, nuance, intrigue and grace.” explains Blakely, who says her great appeal is that she makes the poses look natural, while fixing her eyes on a point in the
28 FIN e ARTC o LL e CT o R SPRING2015
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