Students who visit the Burnell R. Roberts Triangle Gallery in Building 13 will be greeted with breathtaking hand-drawn artwork by David Hicks. Hicks attended undergraduate school at Missouri state university from 2002-2005 and his education consisted mainly of still life drawings, or sketches of inanimate objects that we see and walk past every day.
In a zoom lecture with Hicks and artist Lauren Scavo-fulk, he also revealed that he did a large amount of self-portraits as well. As he was not allowed to use photo references for these drawings as a student, Hicks employed a technique where he would hang mirrors in random spots on his wall and he would draw whatever the mirror was pointed at.
“Current Histories”, 2014
As he developed proficiency in his technical abilities, however, he began to feel that his work was missing something. His professors and peers alike would prod him to think about the deeper meaning behind his content.
Hicks made it his commitment to attack this area of his artwork when he began to attend graduate school at Indiana University Bloomington. After much experimentation, Hicks encountered a breakthrough and dedicated himself to creating multi-figure pieces.
In his 2017-piece Cycle, Hicks features this multi-figure drawing style utilizing graphite on paper. The piece contains nine separate people and nineteen separate birds circling the focal point in the center. The left-hand side features a chain that falls down from the top and piles on top of itself at the bottom.
“Cycle”, 2017
Hicks remarked in the zoom conference that the chain itself required more time to draw than anything else in view. Hick’s work is filled to the brim with visual metaphors that leave the viewers open to a diverse range of interpretations. The artwork of David M. Hicks will be on display at the Burnell R. Roberts triangle gallery from May 15 to June 14.
Chris Scharf
Reporter