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Tell Hicks
Art
Invertebrates and Fish
01
Tortoiseshell butterfly and Runner Beans
Date: 1975
Material: Watercolour on paper
Material: Watercolour on paper
02
Herring
Date: 1983
Size: 9in x 14.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image was an exercise in painting from still life.
Size: 9in x 14.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image was an exercise in painting from still life.
03
The Past Has No Hold on Me
Date: 1995
Size: 30in x 20in
Material: Oil on canvas
A surrealistic depiction of butterflies escaping their fate: This painting was stolen but resurfaced about 30 years later when the woman who had the painting contacted me from a search of the internet. She wondered whether the painting was one of mine. She had fallen in love with the painting, which her grandmother had displayed in her home. After her grandmother died, the woman inherited the painting. I explained that the painting had been stolen, but after our conversation, I told her to keep it as it was obviously now in a good home and loved by the woman.
Size: 30in x 20in
Material: Oil on canvas
A surrealistic depiction of butterflies escaping their fate: This painting was stolen but resurfaced about 30 years later when the woman who had the painting contacted me from a search of the internet. She wondered whether the painting was one of mine. She had fallen in love with the painting, which her grandmother had displayed in her home. After her grandmother died, the woman inherited the painting. I explained that the painting had been stolen, but after our conversation, I told her to keep it as it was obviously now in a good home and loved by the woman.
04
The Koi Pond
Date: 2008
Size: 59in x 35.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
The Koi Pond print run was based on a large painting (35in x 59in), which I worked on in Chicago during a conference. Koi are colored varieties of carp from Japan and are usually kept for display in ponds and water gardens. A koi pond that I visited in the UK was the inspiration for the painting. During the conference, I received compliments from some Japanese participants, who were impressed by the fish colors, detail, and background of the artwork. When putting this composition together, I wanted to capture the almost hypnotic flow and rhythm of these beautiful carp, as they move through the water.
Size: 59in x 35.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
The Koi Pond print run was based on a large painting (35in x 59in), which I worked on in Chicago during a conference. Koi are colored varieties of carp from Japan and are usually kept for display in ponds and water gardens. A koi pond that I visited in the UK was the inspiration for the painting. During the conference, I received compliments from some Japanese participants, who were impressed by the fish colors, detail, and background of the artwork. When putting this composition together, I wanted to capture the almost hypnotic flow and rhythm of these beautiful carp, as they move through the water.
05
Flame Skimmer Dragonfly
Date: 2012
Size: 20in x 16in
Material: Oil on canvas
When working on the composition for this painting, a very familiar species in the deserts of the South West USA, I jumped at the chance to include some delicate California poppies.
Size: 20in x 16in
Material: Oil on canvas
When working on the composition for this painting, a very familiar species in the deserts of the South West USA, I jumped at the chance to include some delicate California poppies.
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06
Mexican (Brachypelma) Tarantulas
Date: 2015
Size: 14in x 18in
Material: Oil on canvas
A bit of a departure from my usual subject matter, but people have been asking for this for quite a while. Depicted are: Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi), Mexican Fireleg Tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei), and Mexican Red Rump Tarantula (Brachypelma vagans).
Size: 14in x 18in
Material: Oil on canvas
A bit of a departure from my usual subject matter, but people have been asking for this for quite a while. Depicted are: Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi), Mexican Fireleg Tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei), and Mexican Red Rump Tarantula (Brachypelma vagans).
07
Coelacanth
Date: 2021
Size: 20in x 30in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image depicts a West Indian Ocean Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae). Coelacanths are an ancient fish from 66 million years ago and were thought to be extinct until one was discovered in 1938 by a museum curator in the catch of a fishing boat off the East Coast of South Africa. Although very rare, these fish are known now to inhabit the ocean around the Comoros Islands between Madagascar and the East African coast. A second species was discovered in the late 1990s in the ocean off Eastern Indonesia. One of its common names is “old four legs” because of the lobed fins on its underside. Coelacanths can grow to two meters in length and weigh up to 200 lbs. When I was a kid, I first saw a preserved Coelacanth in the Natural History Museum in London; I carried with me the desire to paint one of these specimens. I later found a preserved specimen in the Liverpool Natural History Museum and used this as a basis for my painting.
Size: 20in x 30in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image depicts a West Indian Ocean Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae). Coelacanths are an ancient fish from 66 million years ago and were thought to be extinct until one was discovered in 1938 by a museum curator in the catch of a fishing boat off the East Coast of South Africa. Although very rare, these fish are known now to inhabit the ocean around the Comoros Islands between Madagascar and the East African coast. A second species was discovered in the late 1990s in the ocean off Eastern Indonesia. One of its common names is “old four legs” because of the lobed fins on its underside. Coelacanths can grow to two meters in length and weigh up to 200 lbs. When I was a kid, I first saw a preserved Coelacanth in the Natural History Museum in London; I carried with me the desire to paint one of these specimens. I later found a preserved specimen in the Liverpool Natural History Museum and used this as a basis for my painting.
01 / 07
Tortoiseshell butterfly and Runner Beans
Date: 1975
Material: Watercolour on paper
Material: Watercolour on paper
01
Tortoiseshell butterfly and Runner Beans
Date: 1975
Material: Watercolour on paper
Material: Watercolour on paper
02
Herring
Date: 1983
Size: 9in x 14.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image was an exercise in painting from still life.
Size: 9in x 14.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image was an exercise in painting from still life.
03
The Past Has No Hold on Me
Date: 1995
Size: 30in x 20in
Material: Oil on canvas
A surrealistic depiction of butterflies escaping their fate: This painting was stolen but resurfaced about 30 years later when the woman who had the painting contacted me from a search of the internet. She wondered whether the painting was one of mine. She had fallen in love with the painting, which her grandmother had displayed in her home. After her grandmother died, the woman inherited the painting. I explained that the painting had been stolen, but after our conversation, I told her to keep it as it was obviously now in a good home and loved by the woman.
Size: 30in x 20in
Material: Oil on canvas
A surrealistic depiction of butterflies escaping their fate: This painting was stolen but resurfaced about 30 years later when the woman who had the painting contacted me from a search of the internet. She wondered whether the painting was one of mine. She had fallen in love with the painting, which her grandmother had displayed in her home. After her grandmother died, the woman inherited the painting. I explained that the painting had been stolen, but after our conversation, I told her to keep it as it was obviously now in a good home and loved by the woman.
04
The Koi Pond
Date: 2008
Size: 59in x 35.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
The Koi Pond print run was based on a large painting (35in x 59in), which I worked on in Chicago during a conference. Koi are colored varieties of carp from Japan and are usually kept for display in ponds and water gardens. A koi pond that I visited in the UK was the inspiration for the painting. During the conference, I received compliments from some Japanese participants, who were impressed by the fish colors, detail, and background of the artwork. When putting this composition together, I wanted to capture the almost hypnotic flow and rhythm of these beautiful carp, as they move through the water.
Size: 59in x 35.5in
Material: Oil on canvas
The Koi Pond print run was based on a large painting (35in x 59in), which I worked on in Chicago during a conference. Koi are colored varieties of carp from Japan and are usually kept for display in ponds and water gardens. A koi pond that I visited in the UK was the inspiration for the painting. During the conference, I received compliments from some Japanese participants, who were impressed by the fish colors, detail, and background of the artwork. When putting this composition together, I wanted to capture the almost hypnotic flow and rhythm of these beautiful carp, as they move through the water.
05
Flame Skimmer Dragonfly
Date: 2012
Size: 20in x 16in
Material: Oil on canvas
When working on the composition for this painting, a very familiar species in the deserts of the South West USA, I jumped at the chance to include some delicate California poppies.
Size: 20in x 16in
Material: Oil on canvas
When working on the composition for this painting, a very familiar species in the deserts of the South West USA, I jumped at the chance to include some delicate California poppies.
06
Mexican (Brachypelma) Tarantulas
Date: 2015
Size: 14in x 18in
Material: Oil on canvas
A bit of a departure from my usual subject matter, but people have been asking for this for quite a while. Depicted are: Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi), Mexican Fireleg Tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei), and Mexican Red Rump Tarantula (Brachypelma vagans).
Size: 14in x 18in
Material: Oil on canvas
A bit of a departure from my usual subject matter, but people have been asking for this for quite a while. Depicted are: Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi), Mexican Fireleg Tarantula (Brachypelma boehmei), and Mexican Red Rump Tarantula (Brachypelma vagans).
07
Coelacanth
Date: 2021
Size: 20in x 30in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image depicts a West Indian Ocean Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae). Coelacanths are an ancient fish from 66 million years ago and were thought to be extinct until one was discovered in 1938 by a museum curator in the catch of a fishing boat off the East Coast of South Africa. Although very rare, these fish are known now to inhabit the ocean around the Comoros Islands between Madagascar and the East African coast. A second species was discovered in the late 1990s in the ocean off Eastern Indonesia. One of its common names is “old four legs” because of the lobed fins on its underside. Coelacanths can grow to two meters in length and weigh up to 200 lbs. When I was a kid, I first saw a preserved Coelacanth in the Natural History Museum in London; I carried with me the desire to paint one of these specimens. I later found a preserved specimen in the Liverpool Natural History Museum and used this as a basis for my painting.
Size: 20in x 30in
Material: Oil on canvas
This image depicts a West Indian Ocean Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae). Coelacanths are an ancient fish from 66 million years ago and were thought to be extinct until one was discovered in 1938 by a museum curator in the catch of a fishing boat off the East Coast of South Africa. Although very rare, these fish are known now to inhabit the ocean around the Comoros Islands between Madagascar and the East African coast. A second species was discovered in the late 1990s in the ocean off Eastern Indonesia. One of its common names is “old four legs” because of the lobed fins on its underside. Coelacanths can grow to two meters in length and weigh up to 200 lbs. When I was a kid, I first saw a preserved Coelacanth in the Natural History Museum in London; I carried with me the desire to paint one of these specimens. I later found a preserved specimen in the Liverpool Natural History Museum and used this as a basis for my painting.
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