Murray Hammick – Broad Horizon, edge of Exmoor

Description

Murray Hammick Biography

After a decade in the army, Murray Hammick sought to leave the defence world behind, venturing into work as an estate agent and magazine editor. Yet the pull of the industry proved inescapable, and he spent the remainder of his civilian career within its orbit. Today, he turns his focus to a long-held passion: painting. His work draws inspiration from the seascapes and moorlands of North Devon, infused with a love of light, space, and atmosphere. From expansive coastal views with a ‘faint whiff of shipping’ to intimate studies of Exmoor’s rolling terrain, Hammick’s paintings capture a sense of place that is both personal and timeless.

Working mainly in oils on unprepared MDF board – often applying paint with a palette-knife – Hammick builds up layers of colour with a confident, intuitive touch. He embraces the unpredictable, allowing each piece to evolve naturally. Many of his paintings are small in scale, designed to invite private contemplation, offering what the artist describes as ‘straightforward attempts to encompass broad horizons in small frames.’

Though new to the gallery scene, Hammick’s art is shaped by decades of quiet observation, from early childhood sketches to more recent explorations of the Newlyn and St Ives schools. His works are a celebration of the open sea, the shifting sky, and the enduring beauty of the English landscape.

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