About

Christopher Hedley-Dent was born in 1952 and is a modern figurative painter, printmaker and designer currently living in mid-Devon. He studied Fine Art at the City and Guilds of London Art School, where he specialised in painting and printmaking.

He taught Art for many years in London and from 2001, worked in the Art Department at Blundell’s School, Devon, until 2014. He is a poet and keen amateur pianist and is currently preparing a collection of his poems for publication in 2020 that will be illustrated with a suite of his prints.

hedley-dent@eclipse.co.uk

Artist Statment

As a Painter I use a variety of media including oil, acrylic, watercolour and relief printmaking. I often work thematically. Past themes include the Circus, Arthurian legends and pieces inspired by my own poems. My current work is based on the Devon and Cornish landscape and aspects of Andalucia, Spain.

I regard myself as a realist painter but one that uses the resources of 20th century visual language. Cubism is a particular inspiration to me as I am interested in depicting multiple viewpoints. My starting point is work made from observation in the form of studies. These are transformed into more imaginative and abstract pieces as in the current Andalucian series. Drawing is a keystone of my practice.

Commissions

He has worked frequently to commission, both public and private. These range from portraiture and landscape to imaginative composition and abstract design. Public commissions include:

  • A portrait of Jonathan Leigh, Former Headmaster of Blundell’s School, (2005)

  • A picture for the Portobello Community History Project, London (1993)

  • CD covers for Hyperion Records (1998) and the Kings Singers (2000)

  • Artist in residence at the Mind Sports Olympiad, Royal Festival Hall (1997)

  • A suite of lino prints for Poetry Collection, “Some Languages Are Hard To Dream In’ by Lesley Saunders (Mulfran Press 2010)