Hart Dyke’s ability to capture the essence of the landscape and the fleeting effects of light and colour place him firmly among the best of the British school of ‘plein air’ painters.

The Art Newspaper. International Edition December 2004

James Hart Dyke official website


James Hart Dyke is best described as a modern but classical painter (The Wall Street Journal Europe, Collecting, December 6-8, 2002). He combines a classic genre of painting that is strongly influenced by the English Romantic tradition, while also engaging with contemporary ways of working. Using only the fundamental elements of oil paint on canvas he creates paintings that balance abstraction with reality. The work combines painterly qualities with that of his interest in graphics which he engaged with while training as an architect at The Royal College of Art. 


Initially Hart Dyke’s subject matter focused on ‘landscape’, from the domesticity of painting country houses to the dangers and rigors of three month expeditions into remote areas of the Himalayas. Recently his work has become eclectic, using imagery generated from painting projects that include working in war zones with the British Forces and accompanying HRH The Prince of Wales as the official artist on foreign royal tours.

copyright James Hart Dyke 2009

James Hart Dyke’s next one man show will be in October 2010 in central London