Hamish Blakely studied at Wimbledon School of Art and Kingston University. Shortly after leaving college he became an illustrator and received a national award. During this time he also maintained a stock of personal work which he exhibited through galleries in London. "As far as subject matter is concerned, I have always loved painting people, favouring glimpses of figures and anatomy. Even in the enormous, allegorical works of classical masters, I have always been drawn to confined areas of a piece – a spot lit area that reveals a rigid jaw line or the twist in a turned neck".
