Capturing the art spirit
Marjorie Hicks, Building Dreams, oil, 12 x 12.
One day in a workshop, a student asked Marjorie Hicks how to paint something white against a white background. In response, Hicks quickly assembled a collection of various white objects in order to demonstrate the answer: three stuffed bunnies, a porcelain dog, and a clear glass full of milk. The impromptu painting eventually morphed into a whimsical still life titled STUDY IN WHITE. Recently, that spontaneous tableau was juried into the American Impressionist Society’s first-ever Online Juried Exhibition. “I love teaching as much as I love painting,” Hicks says. “With teaching, you are forced to paint in a clear fashion.”
The Tennessee-based painter says that drawing and sketching have been some of her lifelong passions. It wasn’t until she studied with widely renowned master painter David Leffel, though, that she delved deeper into the world of color, design, and composition. “David was an important influence,” she says. “He awoke the spirit of art in me.”
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- Marjorie Hicks, This Side of the Law, oil, 20 x 16.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Feeling’s Moo-Tual, oil, 12 x 12.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Much Love, oil, 6 x 4.
Describing herself as an impressionistic painter, Hicks paints in a variety of genres but favors figurative work, capturing the emotions and unique characteristics of each subject. “Every time I paint someone, I am struck by the miracle of each person and how different we are from each other,” she says. “It’s a very moving experience for me.”
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- Marjorie Hicks, Sunny Pup, oil, 14 x 11.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Rise and Shine, oil, 6 x 4.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Study in White, oil, 12 x 16.
Although people are her favorite subjects, Hicks has observed that often her students are daunted when it comes to portraying the human face and form. Hicks offers them a simple solution: start, instead, by painting man’s best friend. She even offers a workshop called Puppy Love.
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- Marjorie Hicks, One More Time, oil, 14 x 11.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Grandfather, oil, 20 x 16.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Lorna, oil, 16 x 12.
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- Marjorie Hicks, Cuddle Down, oil, 8 x 16.
Lately, due to the pandemic, Hicks is finding her subject matter close to home. She’s painted a portrait of her husband, a retired lawyer, in a hat and jacket. And when her brother visited recently, she snapped reference photos of his hefty Bernese Mountain Dog, Phoenix; the resulting painting won an Honorable Mention in the American Impressionist Society’s Small Works Showcase. But no matter what subject she tackles, Hicks says, she wants her viewers to think to themselves, “Wow, she must have had fun when she created this!” –Bonnie Gangelhoff
representation
Beverly McNeil Gallery, Birmingham, AL.
This story appeared in the February 2021 issue of Southwest Art magazine.