Morley Hicks, Canadian/American, 1877-1959. A 1940s oil on board riverside Midwest town landscape. Signed "Morley Hicks" lower right, numbered "1288" lower left, dated "1947" with additional signature carved into artist painted frame verso. Image 27 1/2 x 23 1/2x " high, framed 32 1/2 x 28 1/2" high.
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Morley Hicks came to the U.S. in 1900, and settled in Detroit, where he lived for eleven years before eventually moving to Milwaukee in 1911. He began his professional career as a paint chemist at Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company but gradually gave it up in favor of painting.
Hicks studied art at Milwaukee Normal School under Gustave Moeller and George Oberteuffer and at Wisconsin State Normal School under Alexander Mueller from 1921 to 1923. He became a close friend and associate of Moeller. Both were members of the Walrus Club in Milwaukee, and Hicks at one time was president of this organization. He also was a member of the Wisconsin Painters & Sculptors.
His understanding of oil paints led to his interest in easel painting. Being very methodical, he numbered and kept meticulous records of his 1,381 paintings. At first he copied others' works, but then began doing his own compositions.
Hicks was very fond of painting Wisconsin landscapes which were depictions of nature and places. He played with special lighting effects, and liked to capture harbors and shoreline atmospheres on canvas and Masonite. His brushwork was bold, quick, and loose.
He frequently constructed his own frames, usually carving his name into the back which was often painted orange. He numbered and dated almost every painting, as well as indicating the location, title, photographing his work, and adding his residential address.
He was a member of Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and exhibited often with the organization. In addition, he exhibited at the Milwaukee Journal Gallery of Art, which operated from 1924-1931.He also exhibited at the Wisconsin Salon of Art, which was held at the student union at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Institute, and other venues.