Biography

For nearly 25 years, Hettie has drawn much of her inspiration from the landscape around her home on the West Sussex Coast. Her expressive and beautiful seascapes transport us to a world in which land, sea and sky merge into a powerful vision of movement and light and while the location may be ambiguous, the sense of peace and wonder is completely clear.

Hettie was initially inspired to paint by a period of living in Cornwall where the rugged coastal landscape and the magical sense of history cast its spell. North Cornwall continues to hold a place in her heart and is often portrayed in her artworks, but her soul is drawn to all the wild haunting parts of our coastline and she is looking forward to venturing North later in the year. Her aim is to capture the rhythm and movement of the sea or the energy of a moment or a view – ‘the sound of waves on rocks’ - whilst leaving some elements open to the interpretation of the viewer. She believes passionately that painting is a reflection of personal experiences and the work which emerges from this approach is captivating and evocative.

Working in her seafront studio, or out on location, Hettie applies paint to canvas with palette knives and both ends of her brushes and achieves a style which is immediately recognisable. Treading an intriguing line between realism and abstraction, she utilises some unusual tools and techniques such as scraping with newspaper or rags, as she builds her composition with multi-layered impasto mark making. There is a depth of colour and an exploratory tone which sometimes refers to the sea, the landscape, or the flora she discovers when she is out walking with her partner Jodi and their two beloved terriers, but on occasion these elements are obscured when she eschews reality and paints more from her own peaceful centre.

With her work on show in galleries throughout the South of England, Hettie has come to the notice of many influential individuals such as international interior designer Katharine Pooley. They have been purchased by many celebrities in recent years, including Karen Millen and Jack Dee, and have been auctioned many times raising thousands for many cancer charities.

“I always aspire to give each painting a sense of space and to convey an energy and rawness; I allow the painting to be open to interpretation by the viewer. Each painting is a journey, an exploration of the physicality of paint and canvas, a suggestion rather than an appearance of a particular place.”

Hettie remains one of our most popular selling artists.