The individual eye of Ron Hitchins

24/5/2015

This is a new artist to me too, but some digging around has revealed a craftsman of the 1960's with a singular vision. Once you have seen a few pieces, Ron Hitchins' composite ceramic panels are incredibly distinctive. Looking for all the world from a distance like printers blocks set in a frame, closer examination reveals minutely detailed abstracted tiles, each one slightly different to its neighbour. Research and lack of available information suggests that these may have been made by hand one by one, or the moulds were, and when arranged, the artist took great pains to not repeat designs within each work. I have seen very large panels of up to 120 tiles and also mirrors and decorative items. Later works appear to have been cast in resins and also with metallic and matt glazes. His work appears on the iinternet for sale from time to time, but at very different prices, the market perhaps not sure what to make of these objects. They have appeared on 1st Dibs and in Bonhams though, so clearly quality is considered high. Ron is apparently currently living in Hackney at the grand age of 87! Certainly a name to watch, and artworks that would complement any self respecting retro styled hipster pad!

16 Comments

Andrew Frey-Lempicki

19/3/2016 08:53:00 pm

There were no moulds. Each 2" terracotta tile was made by hand using both traditional clay modeling tools and anything that came to hand including empty biro tubes. I have an 144 tile mirror at home and when I first saw Ron's work hanging in La Copita wine bar off Askew road it took a while to realise each tile was quite indevidual
Ron was my first Flamenco dance teacher and was and is a unique man

Julie link

11/10/2016 03:53:26 pm

Hi
I have a wall mount by Ron Hutchins on my living room wall. The picture is of The Yorkshire Dragoon Light Infantry. It is around 9feet by 5 feet in size. Please can you tell me if you have any information with regards to this ? Kind Regards Julie

Marilyn Linwood

1/9/2019 09:34:53 pm

Is that Julie Lacey Bruce's daughter???! This is Marilyn! 💕

11/10/2016 04:02:02 pm

Hi
With regards to my previous message my partner has informed me that the Ron Hitchins that is on my living room wall is made of resin. It's approximately 8.5 feet by 3.5 feet and it's an infrantry on horse back in a battle seen with cannons. Would you like me to take a picture of this piece to enable you to give me further information ? Kind regards, Julie

Alfredo de Gallegos

1/11/2016 05:14:45 am

I met Ron in the 1960's. I was introduced to him by an artist friend Michael Tain. I went to his house and bought two mirrors ages ago. If memory serves Ron told me he used shoe polish to finish off his terracotta tiles. I know they were each individually crafted and he never repeated a pattern. He had a lot of small tools he had made to help him with his designs. Ron is a real character and very amusing. I'm glar to hear he's still around.

vanessa wood-davies

30/1/2017 02:31:00 pm

My mum and dad were friends of Ron, and fellow Flamenco dancers. We have some of his mirrors. Each tile was made individually in layers of cut out shapes, and impressed with different tools or objects. He had a massive full canopy four poster bed made of them. We went to parties at his home a few times, and I remember seeing tiles at different stages of being made, and all the tools and cutting shapes. Great memories!

Website link

23/10/2018 11:57:39 pm

i really like this article please keep it up.

Max Gonzalez

27/4/2019 12:52:35 pm

Ron did indeed make each tile individually and tooled and colored them with anything that came to hand. I saw him make the tiles and frames. His bed was presented at the Summer exhibition. Ron also made works in wood, glass and metal. His more recent works are using ink. I will ask him about the dragoon framed piece.

3/6/2019 12:13:01 pm

Hi... please watch Antiques Road Show (from Morden Hall) if you are interested in RH artwork. Would love to contact Ron Hitchens so if anyone can help regarding this I would be very grateful.

1/9/2019 09:30:29 pm

Ms He lives in Hackney Age 87

N. Mackie

11/8/2019 08:32:43 pm

My father acquired half a dozen Ron Hitchens tile pictures from the 60's. They are very interesting and each tile does appear individual .

1/9/2019 09:28:43 pm

Ron Hitchin! There's a name to conjour with.!Also friends with the Legendary Bruce Lacey (Hackney /N London) 1960s late 50s Wish I had a piece of his work now/ Antiques Road Show, worth a pretty Bob or two!!! 🙏

Mark Hitchins

14/3/2020 03:32:09 pm

The tiles were each individually made then biscuit fired. They were mounted on a board and given a coat of bee's wax. The final colour was applied using a boot brush dipped in India ink and Kiwi boot polish. Final shine came by brushing another boot brush. He then applied the frame. Later he experimented with special paint using a 2 coat system. More recently he used car spray paint.

Caroline

16/2/2021 09:54:44 am

Was he self taught? He had such a varied life, with the flamenco dancing and starting out making shirts and selling them on a stall.

Apparently he was a Chinese Lithuanian East Ender

Maggie Kane

14/3/2021 05:17:14 pm

Ron was a waif and was found in Hitchin- Hertfordshire: Hence his name. I knew him in the 60s- 70s and have only recently acquired one of his wall hangings. Not as large as I would like but the purse strings denote my ability to to own more at the moment. Fingers crossed on that one.

Stefan du Maurier

29/11/2021 01:35:23 pm

Just been authenticated that I have a 95 tile panel made by Ron, was my Uncles used to see it in his home office when we visited when I was a child. I love it.

The individual eye of Ron Hitchins

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