tedhillyer.com
Yacht and Sign. ©Ted Hillyer. 61 x 92cm, oil on canvas.
“…all creative acts must arise out of a specific soil and flicker with a spirit of place…” D.H. Lawrence
“When I left Sydney in 1962 I was naively emulating those great artists, the post-impressionists, who had found they could best develop their art away from the distractions of the Paris art world. For me, living in the city, teaching there and making only brief excursions into the bush had become unsatisfactory. I wanted a closer, deeper connection with nature.
The majority of Australian artists were following a succession of American styles: abstract expressionism in the ‘50s and ‘60s, followed by minimalism, colour field, pop art and photo realism. Painters were paddling desperately to catch the next big wave. It all seemed repetitive and bland. I felt that my connection to nature was more important than the pursuit of innovation. The challenge was to express my response to the world around me. I became increasingly drawn to forms of realism, especially the landscapes of Streeton, Roberts and Gruner (who probably painted on the hills around my home). There was a brief interest in the formalism of Fred Williams but then I discovered the work of the great American artist Edward Hopper. This opened my eyes to a new range of subjects that encompassed small seaside towns and the people in them.
These themes have sustained my art for the past sixty years. Although art is international, I think there will always be an audience for paintings that express the spirit of a particular place.”
Self Portrait. ©Ted Hillyer. 112 x 97cm, oil on masonite.
Biography.
Ted Hillyer was born in Campbelltown, NSW in 1936. He studied at the National Art School, East Sydney, from 1955 to 1959. In 1962, he and his wife, Kathy, settled in the Bellinger Valley, where they both taught part-time and raised a family.
Ted Hillyer has created images of readily recognisable scenes of the region by using stylised forms, shapes and colour. These are connected by the interplay of light across the picture plane. His painting technique has been influenced by two North American regional artists, Edward Hopper and, to a lesser degree, Alex Colville. Studying Hopper helped Hillyer develop a way to incorporate the human presence in landscapes.
In this geometrically structured realistic technique, he has painted built and natural landscapes of the region. His body of work can be broadly grouped into three themes: the southern break wall and quarry in Coffs Harbour, swimming scenes of the Bellinger Valley, and natural landscapes of the Bellinger Valley and Glenreagh.
Ted Hillyer’s major aim in his painting is to portray the everyday joy and beauty of living in this area.
(Adapted from Ted Hillyer’s “Survey” exhibition catalogue, Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery 2010).
Small collection. ©Ted Hillyer.
1936: Born at Campbelltown, NSW.
1955-59: Studied at the National Art School East Sydney.
1962: After a brief period of high school teaching moved to the North Coast of NSW to paint full time.
1972: First solo show, Macquarie Galleries, Sydney.
-Stopped exhibiting to resolve stylistic conflicts – seeking a form of realism that would encompass his response to the landscape & the formal demands of modern painting.
1990: First included in a group show, Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney.
1991: Solo show at Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney.
1993: Solo show at Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney.
1998: Solo show at Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney.
2000: Solo show at Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney.
-Ted Hillyer has also exhibited at the Lake Russell Gallery & John Garden Gallery in Coffs Harbour.
1990-2008: Numerous group exhibitions, Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney, including 2006 “Year of the Dog”.
2010: “Ted Hillyer. A Survey 1968-2010” Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery & Manning Regional Art Gallery.
2013: “Ted Hillyer. From Mountains to Sea” New England Regional Art Museum, Armidale.
2014: Solo show at Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney.
2016: Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney; Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery.
Collections
Art Bank
Allen Hemsley & Hemsley, Sydney
Coffs Harbour Regional Art Gallery
Numerous private collections in Australia
Website by Vivienne Hillyer