Christian Hook

Brought up in Gibraltar, then studied illustration at Middlesex University, London before establishing a career as an illustrator for clients including Harper Collins, English Heritage and Disney.

His interest lies in depicting motion, time and the moments that occur between events. Has made an intense study of Cezanne’s use of multiple view points to depict a single subject.

Cites Antonio Lopez, Lucien Freud, Frank Auerbach, Richard Diebenkorn, Francis Bacon and Gerhardt Richter as other important influences.

Favoured subjects are equestrian, bathers, cityscapes.

Hugely successful portrait painter too – celebrity paintings include Mick Hucknall, Fabrice Muamba, Sue Johnston, Sarah Duchess of York and many more.

Raised money for various charities including the Hillsborough Families Support Group in partnership with Sue Johnston and Children in Crisis in partnership with Sarah Duchess of York with auctions of his work.

Has released small number of high end limited editions published by Clarendon Fine Art.

Recent work heavily influenced by the discoveries and journals of Charles Darwin.

Rooted in tradition yet brim with freshness and vitality.

The past and the present collide in each piece, creating alternating perspectives on one subject.

Fascination with classical art and the broken image combined with an exploration of time and motion through subsequent layers of transparent paint.