David Hinchen [NRA 2024]

First name: David ;
Middle name:  ;
Last name: Hinchen ;

Member: Non-Resident Artist Member ; 
Begin: 2024 ;
End: n/a ;

Biography:

David’s paintings celebrate the visually absorbing shapes, colors, textures and eccentric details of the urban landscape. For him, buildings are the significant carriers of cultural memory. Surviving the builders and residents, they are reminders of long past lives and times. Over the years, a city takes on an almost geological aspect, with successive generations leaving behind a layering of architectural styles. The enduring physical makeup of a city directly influences its culture as well as its ability to survive as a place people care about.

David’s landscapes are always without people. The buildings are the complete statement. Many people have observed that the buildings in his paintings seem strangely animated, as if they had personalities of their own. The windows, shutters and doors read almost like facial features, elements of individuality that make their presence felt. The scenes he paints are realistic in perspective, but imaginative in detail, color and lighting. His architectural subjects are often idealized to the status of a timeless icon.

Born in Schenectady, New York, David grew up in Manchester, Connecticut. From an early age, art was an integral part of his earliest influences and memories as he was surrounded by a diverse group of artists for classes and art openings at his parents’ home. His mom (Gail Hinchen), is a mixed-media collage artist who operated her own gallery for over 30 years. Starting to draw in earnest as a child, David studied for many summers with painter and close family friend, Elden Rowland. A noted Abstract Expressionist, Roland was also adept at painting realistic portraits and seascapes. Roland studied with Robert Brackman and Jerry Farnsworth. Farnsworth was a student of Charles Hawthorne, the founder of the Cape Cod School of Art (1899). Roland and David’s grandmother, Helen von Borstel were artistic companions, painting and teaching together in Truro, Massachusetts and Sarasota, Florida for over 40 years (1950s-1980s). Helen was a prolific painter who specialized in impressionistic figures and botanical landscapes. She was a member of the Oak Room Artists and won numerous awards including Best in Show at the Cooperstown National. Rowland and von Borstel exhibited their work extensively in Albany, Provincetown, Sarasota and the Art in Embassies Program throughout Europe and Asia.

Early on, David was inspired by the lonely landscapes of Edward Hopper and brilliant color staging of Maxfield Parrish. Essentially a self-taught architectural artist, his interests in aesthetics, history, urban design and social policy have always influenced his work. David received a B.A. in philosophy and political science from Drew University and an M.A. in political philosophy from Columbia University.

For many years, David worked solely in pen and black ink. Slowly, he introduced color and has since developed a completely original technique which is characterized by precise ink images with acrylic tones painted over each other, resembling thin semi-opaque or transparent layers. When dry, it produces a smooth matte finish. He works exclusively on wood panels, preferring a hard surface over canvas.

David is a full-time artist who has spent the last 35 years creating over 3000 original commissions for individual clients. The majority of his drawings and paintings are of historic homes and landmark buildings in Metro New York, the Hudson Valley, Greater Boston and coastal New England. His work is represented in numerous corporate and private art collections.

David is a member of the Historic Albany Foundation’s Board of Directors. Historic Albany Foundation is a private not-for-profit membership-based organization that works to preserve and protect buildings with architectural, historic, or civic value. They do this through educational and hands-on programming including tours, workshops and lectures; technical assistance; advocacy for endangered buildings; and they run a Tool Lending Library and Architectural Parts Warehouse.

David’s work has been featured in exhibitions at the Albany Institute of History and Art, New York State Museum, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Slater Memorial Museum, Salmagundi Club, Albany Center Gallery, Lichtenstein Center for Arts, New York State Capitol and Historic Albany Foundation’s Built Show 2001-2024. Since 2018, David has been the Built Exhibition Committee Chairperson. He’s a member of the Salmagundi Club of New York City, an associate member of Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts (featured in the 113th Annual Juried Exhibition), a member of the Berkshire Art Association (featured in the 2024 Visible Biennial Juried Show) and represented in the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Exhibition (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina).

davidhinchen.com