Art Exhibit: "Portrait Studies: Art From Life" by Delia Jean Hickey

See Portrait Studies: Art from Life by Delia Jean Hickey, through April 3 at Maze Branch.

And get your own portrait drawn by the artist on April 1! Sign up »

Artist statement

People interest me. I am delighted by the uniqueness and variety of individual people as well inspired by our common humanity. My desire to express and share this fascination is what led me to become an artist.

I attended art school and maintained a regular drawing and painting practice. I set out to be a portrait artist, drawing live sketches of people at events and doing commissioned work. I often felt the limits of my abilities, and it affected my confidence. I began taking life drawing classes at the Fine Arts Building and The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts in order to better express myself artistically.

This body of work was created in those classes between 2019 and the present and is a testament to the development of artistic discipline, growing powers of observation and capacity for reflection and expression. I love studying works by Andrew Loomis and John Vanderpoel, but have been influenced most of all by my teachers, who helped me test my abilities and push past my limits, and inspired by the models who make these lessons possible.