Jack Hellewell was a Yorkshireman – born in Bradford in 1920, trained as a painter at Bradford College of Art from 1949-1952, lived in Menston and latterly in Ilkley. He saw war service in Egypt, North Africa and Italy and then worked as a graphic designer His travels with his family took him to additional countries, such as Australia, Austria, New Zealand, the South Seas and – frequently – to Scotland.
read full bioIn 1976 he gave up his design work to become a full-time painter and returned to West Yorkshire.
All his paintings were executed entirely from memory – he always refused to sketch on site, believing that “it ties you down” and all derived from personal experiences. His travels and encounters had a dramatic impact on his painting and he had the ability to retain the essence of a place so that years – or even decades later -he could produce a painting from it.
Much of his work used the visual experience of intense light in warmer climates, as compared with the more subtle light to be found in Britain.
He always worked in acrylic, enjoying the contrasts it offers between strong and subtle colours and the feeling of movement which is such a feature in his work. He had the ability both to use the medium ‘neat’ on canvas; or to use it diluted on paper to give the effect of the most delicate watercolour.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition on several occasions in the 1990s and his work was featured in the TyneTees arts programme ‘North-East line’.
Other exhibitions included:
| Sloane Street Gallery | London SW3 |
| Heal’s Gallery | London Wl |
| Grape Lane Gallery | York |
| Broughton House Gallery | Cambridge |
| Manchester Academy of Art | |
| Bankside Gallery | London SW1 |
| Llewellyn Alexander | London SE1 |
| Linton Court Gallery | Settle |
| Gascoigne Gallery | Ilkley |
Posthumous exhibitions:
| University of York | Langwith College |
| University of York | The King’s Manor |
Work is included in the collections of:
- British Rail
- National Power Company
- Rochdale Art Gallery
- Manchester City Art Gallery – Rutherston Art Loan Scheme
- Barclay’s Asset Management, Leeds & Birmingham
- Provident Financial, Bradford
Jack Hellewell
1920-2000
Jack Hellewell was a Yorkshireman – born in Bradford in 1920, trained as a painter at Bradford College of Art from 1949-1952, lived in Menston and latterly in Ilkley. He saw war service in Egypt, North Africa and Italy and then worked as a graphic designer His travels with his family took him to additional countries, such as Australia, Austria, New Zealand, the South Seas and – frequently – to Scotland.
read full bioIn 1976 he gave up his design work to become a full-time painter and returned to West Yorkshire.
All his paintings were executed entirely from memory – he always refused to sketch on site, believing that “it ties you down” and all derived from personal experiences. His travels and encounters had a dramatic impact on his painting and he had the ability to retain the essence of a place so that years – or even decades later -he could produce a painting from it.
Much of his work used the visual experience of intense light in warmer climates, as compared with the more subtle light to be found in Britain.
He always worked in acrylic, enjoying the contrasts it offers between strong and subtle colours and the feeling of movement which is such a feature in his work. He had the ability both to use the medium ‘neat’ on canvas; or to use it diluted on paper to give the effect of the most delicate watercolour.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition on several occasions in the 1990s and his work was featured in the TyneTees arts programme ‘North-East line’.
Other exhibitions included:
| Sloane Street Gallery | London SW3 |
| Heal’s Gallery | London Wl |
| Grape Lane Gallery | York |
| Broughton House Gallery | Cambridge |
| Manchester Academy of Art | |
| Bankside Gallery | London SW1 |
| Llewellyn Alexander | London SE1 |
| Linton Court Gallery | Settle |
| Gascoigne Gallery | Ilkley |
Posthumous exhibitions:
| University of York | Langwith College |
| University of York | The King’s Manor |
Work is included in the collections of:
- British Rail
- National Power Company
- Rochdale Art Gallery
- Manchester City Art Gallery – Rutherston Art Loan Scheme
- Barclay’s Asset Management, Leeds & Birmingham
- Provident Financial, Bradford
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