On View October 16–31, 2026

The Book of Parentheses, a solo exhibition of paintings by Ron Hicks, is on view at Gallery 1261 October 16–31, 2026. The exhibition works are viewable and purchasable below, and seven more works will be released here in the coming days.

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Exhibition Details

• 📅 On view October 16–31, 2026
• 🖼️ Works online now; seven more to be released in the coming days
• 🎉 Opening Reception: Friday, October 16, 2026, 6–8 PM. The artist will be in attendance.
• 📍 Gallery 1261, 1261 Delaware St, Denver, CO 80204
• 🕑 Tuesday – Saturday, 12 – 4 PM, and by appointment

Plan Your Visit: Parking and Directions to Gallery 1261

About the Exhibition

The Book of Parentheses brings together oil paintings by Ron Hicks developed without a predetermined narrative. Faces emerge from layered color and gesture, leaving their meaning open to the viewer. Hicks describes the work in his own words:

The Book of Parentheses

The Book of Parentheses is a collection of my attempts to enter the creative space without a preconceived idea of where I am going or what a work should ultimately say.

I don’t believe a painting needs to begin with an answer. In fact, my own thoughts about what a painting might mean while I am making it are ultimately irrelevant. The work has to be allowed to become what it becomes.

I think of this body of work as a book, but a book without a defined beginning, middle, or end. The parentheses are its chapters, each one a space of its own, yet still part of something larger. They don’t necessarily explain one another, follow one another, or arrive at a particular conclusion. They simply exist.

For me, this is where the creative space becomes important. It is a place of exploration without predetermined boundaries, where looking, responding, changing direction, and uncertainty are all part of the process.

The paintings are not meant to lead the viewer toward my interpretation of them. I would rather leave that space open. What happens within a work belongs as much to the person experiencing it as it does to the person who made it.

The Book of Parentheses is, in that sense, unfinished by design.

The chapters are there.

What they contain is yours to discover

Ron Hicks 2026

About the Artist

Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1965, Ron Hicks studied at Columbus College of Art and Design and Colorado Institute of Art. He combines realistic portraiture with abstract passages, working intuitively without preliminary sketches. Hicks lives in Denver, Colorado.

Read the full biography and see more work by Ron Hicks

Follow Ron Hicks

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Show Works

Seven more to be released in the coming days

Also Available by Ron Hicks

Currently available works by Ron Hicks, not included in the exhibition.