Tony Hines

I first met Tony many years ago at school when we both decided to take A-Level art.  After school came college, after college Tony went away to university, but returned to Sheffield and is currently working in a studio in the city.  I've been in touch with Tony recently and asked him a few questions.

Self portrait.

• RFE: Can you first of all give us a history of where you come from and what first set you on an artistic path?
  
  
  TH:  I lived my youngest years in a village in Blackpool called Bispham and my first memory of an artistic nature was when at infant school (I must've been no older than 5) I was praised for colouring in an outline of a horse without going over the lines and without any gaps.  I was surprised by the reaction because it seemed so simple, then I looked at the other kids' work and it looked like they had just scribbled randomly.  My mother used to draw me pictures when I was young, I remember I used to pester her to draw this toy shark I had, and I used to watch her and just found it fascinating.  Throughout the various schools I went to, art was the only lesson I ever looked forward to.  I would get attention and positive comments from the teachers and my peers and I guess that just spurred me on really.  
  
  
  I became interested in the human figure during my A-Levels, when I first experienced life drawing. I wasn't that confident at drawing faces at that point though so just stuck to the figure and left the heads without any features.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  RFE:  Name your top 5 creative individuals - don't feel restricted to naming visual artists, it can be any kind of creative outlet.
  
  
  TH:  Some of my artistic influences are John Currin, Alexander McQueen, Inka Essenhigh, Glenn Brown, George Condo, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud... thats 7 sorry. I tend be inspired by people who create a really believable alternative reality.
  
  
  RFE:  What are you working on at the moment?
  
  
  TH:  Right now I'm working on creating some fictional, imaginary characters through a process of making a collage then doing a drawing from the collage then making a plasticine maquette from the drawing.  Then I'm trying to bring them to life through making a painting by looking at all three plus looking at my own skin tones in the mirror, they are a way to explore my identity, like a portrait of what's inside my head.
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  RFE:  As a portrait artist, if you could record any person, living or dead, who would it be and why?
  
  
  TH:  I would probably choose the Elephant man or someone with a severe facial disfigurement because it would be really interesting to see that kind of portrait in a gallery, I think the reason there aren't those kind of portraits already (very few anyway) is that artists are worried they would be accused of exploiting the sitter. Maybe a future project of mine...
  
  
  RFE:  Predict your artistic style 5 years from now.
  
  
  TH:  HaHa! No chance!
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  RFE:  What would you be doing if you weren't a portrait artist.
  
  
  TH:  I'd like to say something really cool like a DJ or producer because I really love music, but realistically if I hadn't pursed artistdom I would probably be a teacher by now. 
  
  
  You can get in touch with Tony and see more of his work HERE .