Abstract Portraits by Ryan Hewett

Using photographs as a starting point for his process, Cape Town-based artist Ryan Hewett relies on memory and imagination to produce his expressive paintings.

“Renowned for his brooding and evocative paintings, for South African born 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.”

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