Renowned for his brooding and evocative paintings, for South African born Ryan Hewett, the portrait is not about capturing an external likeness of a subject; but rather creating a portal to the inner journey of self-exploration. He relies principally on the free-flowing processes of memory and creative imagination.
In the twelve years that he has practiced as a full-time artist, Hewett’s techniques have evolved from tightly wrought pencil drawings into the looser, layered surfaces of his present work.
With his quick, almost brutal splashes of the palette knife, and through blending, building, edging, detailing and scraping off painterly layers, Hewett’s imagery is textured and richly hued, conveying both complexity and raw emotion, demanding intelligence and consideration from the viewer.
To date Ryan Hewett has presented three solo exhibitions in South Africa, one in New York and two in London. He has participated in group exhibitions in many major cities including among others Berlin, London, Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong and New York and his paintings have been presented at various art fairs including SCOPE Miami (2013-2014); FNB Joburg Art Fair (2013-2014); Cape Town Art Fair (2013-2018); Fountain Art Fair, Chicago (2014); Sydney Contemporary (2015); LA Art Show (2015); Art Central Hong Kong (2016); Volta NY (2017) and AKAA (Also Known As Africa), Paris (2017).
Images courtesy of Ryan Hewett
Discover: ryanhewett.com
