Lesley Hicks

Lesley Hicks is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Arts and Creative Industries (SACI), University of Teesside. Her practice-based research explores landscape representation through drawing, focusing on contrasts between site-specific creation and digital mediation. She holds a PhD from the Institute for Collective Place Leadership and has exhibited internationally, including at MIMA (Middlesbrough), Jerwood Space (London), and Athens ART-ATHINA.

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy, Institute for Collective Place Leadership
• Royal Academy Schools (1986–1989)
• University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1982–1986)

Her research investigates how physical proximity/distance influences drawing processes, particularly through webcam surveillance versus direct observation. Key themes include landscape flux, material experimentation, and the role of drawing in mediating environmental experience. Recent work includes podcasts on drawing and land (MIMA, 2023) and collaborative exhibitions addressing spatial narratives.

Awards & Recognition:

• Shortlisted for Trinity Buoy Wharf and Derwent Drawing Prizes (2022)
• Discerning Eye Drawing Bursary (2012)

Teaching focuses on empowering fine art students to engage critically with visual possibilities. Her global fieldwork spans Iceland, Morocco, Vietnam, and beyond, with artworks featured in venues from Berlin to Athens.