Foundations of Ruined Mill near Droxford

The beautiful woodlands and countryside around Hitchens' studio home at Lavington Common, near Petworth in Sussex, provided the artist with subject matter for over 40 years. Indeed, so rich and abundant was the inspiration that this setting provided, Hitchens had no need to paint in other locations. However, he did travel around in search of other painting grounds, and when he found himself on a riverbank or if a particularly decorative architectural feature was in sight the desire to record such beauty would prevail. ​
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By the late 1950s, Hitchens had begun to use freer, bolder brush strokes and a less rigid compositional structure. He had moved further away from naturalism and towards greater abstraction, a trend that was to continue for the next two decades. In the present work, a view of a ruined mill near Droxford in the Meon Valley, the artist is transitioning to a new palette made up of vibrant colour. A move away from the mid toned browns and forest greens of his earlier work is clearly visible as he records the mill and its environs in startling jewel tones of electric blue, orange and flashes of yellow, in a brilliant colour palette that would define his work for the rest of his output.